Lenni's Choices
by A. R. Chwa
Summary: Lenni faces some tough decisions after her father is shot and she's sent to live in Chicago, and even harder ones when she finally returns to Brooklyn.
1. Chapter 1

THE WAY HOME – PART ONE

It was summertime in 1997. Lenni Frasier yawned as she turned off the synthesizer. She knew she had to go to bed, but she was waiting for her father to get home. There was finally a knock on the door and she looked at it sleepily.

"Who's knocking at this hour?"

She got up and answered the door and gasped. There stood Lieutenant McQuade with Sally, her father's girlfriend. Sally looked terribly upset and Lieutenant McQuade gave a sigh.

"What…what's going on?" Lenni asked.

"Sit down Lenni," Lieutenant McQuade told her.

Lenni swallowed hard as she sat down. Sally dabbed her eyes with tissue and took a deep breath.

"Lenni…something terrible…happened tonight," Sally said heavily.

"What…where's…my dad?" Lenni asked.

Sally started crying and Lieutenant McQuade sighed.

"There was a shooting…at the club," he said. "Your father got caught in the crossfire."

Lenni gasped, shaking her head. She couldn't believe it.

"No!"

"I'm sorry Lenni. He's gone."

Lenni broke down sobbing and Sally took her in her arms. McQuade got up and patted both of them on the back.

"I'll see if the Fernandez's can take her in for tonight."

The Fernandez family was just as stunned as Lenni. They brought her to Gaby's room, waking up their daughter and telling her what had happened. Their son Alex was already awake and shook his head.

"Not Max," he said.

"I'm afraid so," his father said. "Lieutenant…Lenni can stay with us as long as she needs to."

"Thank you," McQuade said.

Lenni was still sobbing and Gaby held her tight. She looked at Alex, who gave a nod.

"Stay with her Gaby. I'll let the others know."

The next day, Alex told their other friends about Lenni's father. He went to Jamal Jenkins first, then Tina Nguyen and Hector Carrero. He also wrote to Ghostwriter, a special friend only they could see. He was especially upset.

_Oh no! Where will Lenni go now?_

Alex sighed and wrote back, as the ghost could only communicate by reading and writing.

_I hope she can stay with us._

* * *

It was late May, 1993. Lenni and her father were having dinner with the Fernandez family after making up with them after a terrible fight. Lenni was so glad to see her father and Alex and Gaby's father talking and laughing together.

"It's a good thing we worked this all out, Max," said Mr. Fernandez. "We would have had to change our will."

"No need to do that," Max said.

"What will?" asked Alex.

"It's just a formality," said Mrs. Fernandez. "If anything happens to both of us, you and Gaby would go to stay with Max."

"Really?" asked Gaby.

"Well all your other relatives live in El Salvador," said Mr. Fernandez. "It would be far too difficult for you."

"And I'm more than willing to take you in," Max said, shaking his fork. "Thing is, _I_ really need to do a will too."

"Dad!" Lenni said.

"It's just a formality," Max told her. "If something happens to me, someone needs to be ready to take care of you."

"I suppose," Lenni said. "But I don't think anything's going to happen before I'm eighteen."

"Well I don't either," Max said. "I should still get it done sometime though…just in case."

* * *

Lenni stayed with Alex and Gaby for a few days. It was just after the funeral when a lawyer appeared at the bodega. After some discussion with Alex and Gaby's parents, they called Lenni in.

"What's…going on now?" Lenni sniffed.

"Well your father left no will," the lawyer said. "Since he didn't designate a guardian for you, you will have to go to your closest relative."

Lenni had been worried about this and gave out a groan.

"But I don't _have_ any other family."

"Actually, you do," the lawyer said. "You have an uncle…on your mother's side…who lives in Chicago. We have contacted him and he has agreed to take you in."

Lenni was rather surprised by this, as she didn't know anything about this uncle.

"Couldn't I just…stay here?" she asked. "Mr. and Mrs. Fernandez have looked after me before…and that's who my dad was _going_ to designate as my guardian. He just never got around to it."

"I'm afraid not," the lawyer said. "As your father has no will, it's the state that decides who your guardian will be. I'm just here to tell you to get ready to go to Chicago."

Lenni was terribly upset with the news and could hardly bring herself to pack. Gaby did her best to comfort her and looked at Alex, who nodded.

"You stay with her," he said. "I'm going to let the others know what's going on."

Lenni nodded and looked up.

"You can bring them here later," she sniffed. "I'll have to…say goodbye."

Alex nodded and headed for Jamal's house. After letting telling him what the lawyer had said, Jamal wrote down _Rally J_ on a notepad. This sent Ghostwriter to Tina and Hector, so they knew to come to Jamal's house. Once they arrived, Alex gave them the news as well.

"Well that isn't fair," Hector complained. "Why should Lenni have to go stay with a guy she doesn't know?"

"He may not be so bad," Jamal said. "He _is_ a relative. It's kind of like when Casey came to live here."

"It's _not_ the same though," Tina said. "Casey already knew you guys…and all of us were here to be her friends."

"Yeah," Alex said. "Lenni's really scared. She just lost her dad…and now she has to go live with a guy she's never met…in a city where she doesn't know anyone."

"She's going to Chicago?" Hector asked.

"That's what the lawyer said," Alex said, rolling his eyes. "Any of you know anyone there?"

The others shook their heads but Hector looked thoughtful.

"Rob does."

The others look at him.

"Rob?" Tina asked.

"Hey yeah," Alex said, holding up a finger. "He mentioned that in a letter we got. Rob's brother just graduated from Chicago University."

"Is he still there?" Jamal asked.

"I think the letter talked about him getting a job," Hector said. "I can go home and get it."

"Bring _all_ of Rob's letters," Alex said. "He wrote about his brother a few times."

"Did he include a phone number?" asked Tina. "Maybe Lenni could call him when she gets there."

"I don't think that'd work," Hector said. "Rob said his brother is deaf. That's why he was having trouble finding a job."

"He's deaf?" Jamal asked.

"Yeah," said Alex. "That's why we need the letters. They may have enough clues for Lenni to find him."

"Good idea," Jamal said. "And Lenni has letters from Rob too. We should make sure she takes them with her."

"Um…does Rob even know what happened to Max?" Tina asked.

The others looked at each other and Alex took the paper from Jamal. He wrote to Ghostwriter and nodded.

_GW – You need to go to Australia and tell Rob what happened to Lenni's dad. She's also being sent to Chicago to stay with an uncle she's never met. If possible, he should try to tell his brother that she's coming._

"He does now."

* * *

It was June of 1993. Alex was trying out a pair of in-line skates that he got for his birthday. He stumbled around the park as someone came up behind him on a skateboard.

"Trying out the skates?"

"Hey!"

Alex stumbled over as the other guy caught him, laughing as he did.

"Dang it, Rob!" Alex said, finding his balance again.

"Sorry," Rob said. "Couldn't resist."

"Yeah, yeah," Alex said. "I'd like to see _you_ try out these things. It's not as easy as it looks, you know."

"Why not?" Rob shrugged, putting his skateboard aside.

Alex grinned and sat down, taking off the skates and handing them to Rob. Rob took off the sneakers and was putting the skates on when Lenni came by, riding her bike.

"What'cha doin'?" she asked.

"Hot shot here is going to try a different set of wheels," Alex said. "See if _he_ falls over."

"I don't know," Lenni grinned. "Rob's pretty good on wheels."

"We'll see," Rob said, latching on the skates. "Never tried skates like this before."

Rob got up, but found his balance pretty quickly and skated around. Lenni giggled as Alex frowned and Rob shook his head.

"Doesn't feel quite right," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "I need…"

He skated over to a group of kids playing roller hockey and asked to borrow a stick. They tossed him one and he started skating with it, holding it in front of him as he slid back and forth going backwards.

"That's better," he said, coming to a stop in front of Alex and Lenni.

"What in the world?" Alex asked. "Since when do you play _hockey_?"

"Since I lived in South Dakota," Rob sighed, twirling the stick. "Dad got me on a team for a whole three months. One of the few times he succeeded in getting me into sports."

"Why you little…"

Lenni laughed as Alex got up and started chasing Rob around the park, even though he was in socks and Rob still had the skates on. Rob tossed the stick back to the kids in the game, who gave a laugh.

"You want in the game?" one of them asked.

"No thanks," Rob said, putting his thumb over his shoulder. "He might though. Yaaah!"

Alex had caught up to Rob and grabbed him by the hair, dragging him back to Lenni. He then yanked on his hair, making him stumble backwards.

"Hey now," Lenni said. "Don't hurt him!"

"No no," Rob laughed. "I deserved that. Oh but that was funny."

"Just gimme my skates back!" Alex fumed. "Show off."

"All right, all right, I'm sorry," Rob said, taking off the skates. "I guess _you're_ not going to miss me."

Alex raised an eyebrow as Lenni did a double-take.

"Miss you?" she asked. "Where you going?"

"We're going to Australia for the summer," Rob said, putting his shoes back on.

"Australia?" Alex asked. "What for?"

"Mom's doing an internship at a wildlife sanctuary," Rob shrugged, tying his sneakers.

"Wow," Lenni said. "For the whole summer?"

"Yeah," Rob said, getting up. "I mean…it'd be great to stay here with the team and all…but this is the job my mom has always dreamed of. She was never able to have a career when we were moving around."

Lenni nodded as Alex put his skates back on.

"Do the others know you're leaving?" Alex asked.

"Not yet," Rob said. "I was going to go find everyone…seeing as we can't call a rally right now."

Ghostwriter had disappeared just before school let out for the summer, saying he had to go help someone.

"You'll find Gaby and Jamal at the youth center," Alex said. "Should be getting out of karate soon."

"And Tina's working at Lana's today," Lenni said.

"Thanks," Rob said. "Once I see them, I gotta get home to pack. We're leaving Thursday."

"That soon?" Lenni asked.

Rob gave a shrug.

"I'll write to you guys, okay?" he said. "And you let me know the _minute_ Ghostwriter comes back."

Lenni sighed as Alex nodded.

"We will, Rob."

Rob smiled and skated away towards the youth center while Lenni and Alex stayed at the park. None of them knew at the time that Ghostwriter had traveled back to 1928. Nor did they know that Rob wouldn't return until September, and only for a brief time. He was going to wind up living in Australia permanently.

* * *

Lenni was still nervous when she got off the plane in Chicago. The whole team had come to see her off in New York, but she missed them already. She gripped her bag, which held her song book and every letter she had ever received from Rob. When she passed through security, she saw the tall man in a suit, who greeted her with a smile.

"You must be Lenni," he said. "You look _just_ like your mother."

Lenni nodded and took the man's hand quietly. She immediately noticed that he gripped it rather hard and didn't like the way he was squeezing her fingers. She was glad when he finally let go so he could get her bags.

"Quiet one, aren't you?" he asked her.

Lenni nodded, as she didn't feel like talking.

"Good," the man said. "I like my peace and quiet…and you coming to stay with me is not going to change that."

Lenni bit her lip and grew worried. If the man wanted quiet, she wondered if he would let her play her music. He collected the bags and took her hand, gripping it hard again. Lenni went with him, growing more and more frightened as he called a cab and directed it to his condo. Lenni memorized the intersection he mentioned to the driver, making a mental note to write it down. When they arrived there, he walked her down the block to a condominium. They went up to one of the larger apartments, where the man showed her a room.

"Now I expect you to earn your keep," he said to her, pointing a finger.

Lenni swallowed hard as the man grinned, looking her over.

"Um…you want me to…do some chores?"

"Not exactly," the man grinned.

Lenni bit her lip as he slid a finger under her chin.

"Just like your mother," he said. "She was gorgeous too."

The man went to the door and Lenni tried not to shiver.

"I'm going to order some Chicago deep dish for lunch," he said. "Then I'll be showing you exactly what I'm expecting. In the meantime, how about you take a shower…and change into something nice."

Lenni said nothing but nodded. As soon as the man closed the door, her hand flew to her notebook.

_Ghostwriter, I'm scared! I think this man is going to hurt me!_

The ghost flew over the words and changed color in alarm before writing back.

_Do you know exactly where you are?_

Lenni thought of what the man said to the driver, but could only remember one of the streets. She wrote it down and gave a sigh.

_Will it help though? Can anyone come to find me here?_

Ghostwriter flashed and wrote again.

_I will get help for you. If you can get out, follow the letters._

Lenni nodded and took out Rob's letters. Ghostwriter flew to one of them and made it glow, so she opened it. One passage in it was also glowing and she nodded.

_Jason likes to hang out at this bar called McGinty's after class. He's got a crush on this blind black lady named Marissa. They communicate by writing on each other's hands like Helen Keller. He's also good friends with the bartender, a guy called Gary that's always carrying a newspaper and being followed by an orange cat. Gary's got a friend that's a stockbroker, so Jason is getting investment advice from him, even though he finds him slightly annoying._

Lenni nodded and wrote in the margin.

_Can you find this place?_

Ghostwriter blinked and wrote back.

_I know it well. If you get out, follow me there._

Lenni breathed a bit easier and wrote again.

_How do you know it? Does someone there see you?_

Ghostwriter wrote again.

_Only the cat. I go there often to read the newspaper and see how it changes by the end of the day._

Lenni raised her eyebrows, wondering what Ghostwriter meant by this.

* * *

In another part of the city, a bartender was reading a newspaper and sipping coffee, while an orange cat sat on the counter. Another man was talking to him, trying to sneak a peak at the financial section. At one of the tables, a tall deaf man was running his fingers across the palms of a blind black woman, who had a large German shepherd next to her. A bright ball of light flew in through the window and headed towards the newspaper, but then changed direction and headed for the deaf man's pocket instead, as it had a telegram inside.

_Jason._

_Got permission to come visit._

_Will come to McGinty's by cab on Friday._

_Rob._

The orange glow then flew from the man's pocket to the newspaper, which was marked for Saturday, even though it was only Friday. It flew to one of the articles as the cat bat at it with its paw. The man reading it scolded the cat, but then took a closer look at the article.

_New York Girl Raped and Murdered_


	2. Chapter 2

THE WAY HOME – PART TWO

Later that afternoon, a teenager stepped off the plane with his bag over his shoulder and a skateboard in his hand. He hadn't checked any bags and went right to the exit. On his way there, the orange ball of light zipped in front of him, sending a flashing message.

_Go directly to Lenni! She's in danger!_

The teenager gasped and grabbed his pen and a notebook from his bag. He wrote frantically.

_I only have one street name! Do you have the other one?_

The light wrote back to him.

_Gary has the full address and will get Lenni out of the building. She will run to McGinty's once she's out. Make sure she gets there._

The teenager raised his eyebrows but didn't have time to ask any questions. He ran to a cab and gave the driver the street name.

"That's a long street kid," the driver said. "Anywhere in particular?"

"Is it a hill?"

"Yeah."

"Take me to the highest point then. I got a skateboard…and an extra tip if you hurry."

The driver obeyed and the teenager put away his notebook and got several large bills ready to pay the driver. When the cab stopped, he paid the driver and rushed out.

"Thanks kid!"

The teenager stepped on the skateboard and saw which direction the light was headed. He pushed off and went down the hill with great skill. He saw the orange light head for two men, who were struggling in the doorway of a large condominium. A girl ran out of the building from behind them, her brown hair flying behind her. She too looked up at the orange light and the teenager called out.

"LENNI!"

The girl turned towards him and gasped.

"ROB!"

"Hey!" yelled one of the men fighting. "Get back here!"

"No!" Lenni yelled. "You get away from me!"

The other man held him back just as Rob reached Lenni. He pulled her to the skateboard and she clung to him as he sped down the sidewalk. She looked back and saw the other man had escaped her uncle by running across the street. She then looked at Rob, who was focused on the road ahead of them.

"Turn coming up…hold on."

Lenni screamed as Rob spun around a light pole, going in another direction. He slowed down some, holding tight to Lenni, finally stopping in front of a bar. He lifted her off the skateboard and kicked it up to his hand as he turned to her.

"Are you okay?"

Lenni panted and stared at him, her heart racing and her mind completely stunned that he was there. Rob frowned and shook his head.

"Lenni…you either say something…or I take you straight to the hospital."

"I'm…I'm fine," she said, quickly. "I'm just…how did you get here?"

"Just flew in," Rob said. "Ghostwriter said to go straight to you. Seems he knew you were in trouble."

"I was," Lenni swallowed. "That man was going to…to…"

Lenni's emotions finally caught up with her and she broke down, hiding her face in his jacket. Rob held her tight for a while, tears running down his cheeks. He finally looked up when a man arrived by cab and came over to him, carrying a newspaper.

"You must be Rob," he said.

Rob raised his eyebrows.

"How'd you guess?"

"You look just like your brother," the man smiled. "I'm Gary Hobson."

"Right," Rob said. "Jason told me about you…and said not to ask questions."

"That's right," Gary grinned, checking his newspaper. "One down."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Gary said, rolling up the paper. "Jason should be here any time now for lunch. Marissa's inside waiting for you."

Rob nodded and helped Lenni inside, taking her to a table. She calmed down some as a blind woman came over to them.

"Welcome back, Rob," the woman said.

"How'd you know it was me?" Rob asked.

"You smell just like your brother," the woman said. "And you always carry that skateboard."

"Came in handy today," Rob frowned.

The woman nodded as Lenni looked up.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"I am now," Lenni sniffed. "Rob and that…that other guy…got me away from that…that…"

"Don't think about it right now," Rob said softly, stroking her hair. "Think you can take care of her, Marissa? I gotta wait for Jason."

Marissa nodded and Lenni went with her, although she gave Rob a smile of thanks. The blind woman led her to a nearby apartment, a large German shepherd walking next to them.

"How did that…Gary…know where I was?" Lenni asked.

"He has a knack for these things," Marissa said. "Seems your boyfriend does too."

Lenni nodded but then realized the woman was blind.

"Yeah…he does."

Lenni watched as the ball of light flew overhead. It went some distance to the newspaper, where the article title had changed.

_New York Girl Rescued by Skateboard_

* * *

Back in December of 1992, Rob had walked Lenni home when the school closed early due to lack of heating. They reached the bodega and Rob saw it was closed.

"Oh yeah," he said. "Alex and Gaby went to New Jersey with their folks today."

"Might as well," Lenni said, digging in her pockets. "It's freezing out here."

"And even colder in the school," Rob agreed, blowing on his hands.

"Oh shoot! Not again!"

"What?"

"My keys," Lenni whined. "I left them in my other coat."

"Uh oh," Rob said. "You have another set?"

"Mrs. Fernandez has it," Lenni sighed, still digging in her pockets. "Lot of good _that_ does. And Jamal's folks went to Philadelphia!"

"Sorry," Rob said. "Guess you're stuck going to my place."

Lenni looked at him.

"Your place?"

"Well yeah," Rob said. "What? You think I sleep on the street like Double-T?"

"I kinda wondered," she said. "None of us have ever been to your house. Is it far?"

"It's a bit of a walk," he said. "Come on."

Rob led the way around a corner and up the hill. Lenni followed him and cocked her head.

"That's Lana's house right there," she said.

"Yeah," Rob said. "I liked it when we rallied there. Saved me a lot of walking."

"Is _that_ why you're always hanging around my place?" Lenni asked.

"One reason," he said, giving a shrug. "I also like your music."

Lenni grinned as the came to the top of the hill and Rob pointed ahead.

"We gotta go three blocks down from here…and hang a right," he said.

"Good grief," Lenni said. "That _is_ far."

"That's why I carry this," Rob said, putting his skateboard down. "Hop on."

Lenni looked at the skateboard.

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Don't you trust me?"

Lenni looked at him as he held out his hand. She took it and he helped her onto the board, holding it steady with his right foot.

"Woah…this isn't easy," she said.

"Just keep your feet planted," he said. "I'll take care of the rest."

"I don't know about this."

"It's fine. Just trust me."

Lenni bit her lip as Rob put one arm around her, which she gripped onto with both hands. She looked at Rob, who was grinning and had his other hand out.

"You ready?"

"Uh…I guess."

Rob kicked off and Lenni screamed. Rob skillfully guided the board down the street, holding her tight so she wouldn't fall off.

"Curb!" she called out.

"And…jump!"

Lenni screamed again, but Rob kicked the board into the air to jump from the sidewalk to the street and back up on the other side. They went around various obstacles on the next block as they approached the next curb.

"Car!" Lenni cried.

"Detour," he said.

As a car had stopped at the next intersection, Rob turned instead. He then jumped the curb to the next side as he did before, but this time took an alleyway between the buildings.

"Hold your breath."

Lenni did, as the alley held a lot of garbage that Rob had to steer around. When they got out of it, he grabbed a pole and turned right.

"Almost there," he said.

"How do we stop?" Lenni asked.

"Like this."

Lenni screamed again as Rob spun to a stop in front of a tall apartment building, catching her in one arm and kicking his board up into his other hand.

"And _that_…is how I get home every day," he said.

"Every day?" Lenni asked, still clinging to him.

"Every day since I got this thing," he said. "Really got the hang of it in Colorado. Hills over _there_ make these look like pine cones."

"Wow," she said, catching her breath. "Guess that's why you never invited us here before."

"Oh that's not why," Rob said.

He nodded to the apartment building and Lenni raised her eyebrows.

"Um…what floor do you live on?"

"Tenth floor," he sighed. "And the elevator's been out of order since we moved in. Hope you don't mind stairs…"

* * *

Lenni smiled to herself as she gripped Rob's arm, now glad that he had given her a wild ride on his skateboard before. They sat in the social services office, waiting for someone to take Lenni's statement against her uncle. She looked at Rob, who gave a shy smile. He was several inches taller now, with bleached streaks through his dark hair and a slightly deeper voice.

"I just can't believe you came all the way here…just for me."

"Well who would've come if I hadn't?" Rob asked.

"I…I don't know," she said. "I don't have…anyone."

Rob sighed and put his hand on her cheek.

"Anyone on the team _would_ have come if they _could_," Rob said. "But I was the only one with any connections here…so Ghostwriter came to me. I just wish I could've gotten here sooner."

"You came soon enough," she said. "If you hadn't arrived when you did…"

"Don't think about that right now," he said.

Lenni nodded as Rob looked over. A woman in a business suit was coming, carrying a clipboard.

"Is this Lenni?" she asked.

"Yes Ma'am," Rob said. "Lenni, this is Margorie Davis. She works in Child Protection."

Lenni nodded and shook the woman's hand.

"If you're ready," Margorie said, "I can write up a statement on how your uncle was treating you…and make sure you aren't sent back to him."

Lenni bit her lip and looked at Rob, who squeezed her hand.

"I'll stay with you…if you want," he said.

Lenni nodded and went to talk to the woman. Margorie needed a lot of details about the incident, so Lenni was glad Rob was there with her.

"So Mr. Hobson just…showed up?" Margorie asked.

"Yes," Lenni said. "He kicked in the door…and jumped on the guy. He pulled him outside so I could get out…and I saw Rob coming at me on the skateboard."

"Amazing," Margorie said, looking at Rob. "How did you know she was in trouble?"

"Just…a hunch," he said. "I got a letter from a pen-pal in New York…who told me about her dad and that she was being sent here. It just didn't feel right that she was being sent to a stranger…and didn't know anyone in Chicago. So I convinced Dad to let me come and stay with Jason…and figured I'd pass by the place on the way."

Margorie raised an eyebrow as Rob described the skateboard chase. She finally nodded and turned to Lenni.

"All right, Lenni," she said. "We will be placing you in foster care for the time being."

"But…can't I just stay with Rob?"

"Sorry, but no. You will be with a registered foster family…and your boyfriend is welcome to visit you."

Lenni didn't want to correct the woman and simply clung to Rob's arm.

"Can I at least go with her…to meet the foster family?" he asked.

"Are you over eighteen?"

"I just turned eighteen."

"All right then," she said. "Stay with Lenni while I make arrangements."

Lenni nodded and Rob stayed with her. She finally looked over at him.

"You're eighteen already?"

"Yeah," he said. "Moving around kind of set me back in school."

"Oh," she said. "And uh…you never told us…your birthday."

"Well it was three days ago," he said. "Never got to have a birthday in New York since I wasn't there during the summer."

Lenni nodded and the woman later came back, saying a foster mother was coming to pick her up. Rob took her downstairs, where a large black woman had arrived with several small children behind her.

"You must be Lenni," she said. "I'm Miz Brown."

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Mrs. Brown," the woman said.

"My pleasure," Mrs. Brown said. "Don't worry now, Lenni. You're safe with us."

Lenni was still nervous as she looked at Rob, who nodded.

"Can I have a phone number so I can check on her?"

"Of course," said Mrs. Brown, giving him a card.

Rob put it in his pocket.

"I'd give you Jason's, but he doesn't have one," he said. "But you know how to reach me."

Rob gave her a wink and Lenni smiled.

"Thanks…Rob."

Mrs. Brown had a friendly, although rather crowded, home. She had a number of other foster children, all of them girls, several of whom had also been abused. Lenni finally found a spot to be alone and write to Ghostwriter.

_Thank you for sending Rob._

The ball of light swirled and wrote back.

_I knew he would come for you._

Lenni smiled and then tucked the loose paper in her pocket. She ate with the Brown family, but didn't touch any of the pizza. She wondered if Rob would call that night, but Mrs. Brown shook her head.

"The boy just flew in from Australia," she said. "Jason says the jet lag's bound to catch up with him."

"So you know Jason?"

"Quite well," Mrs. Brown smiled. "I had a little girl here that was deaf. She was adopted several months ago."

Lenni nodded as the phone rang. Mrs. Brown answered it and smiled.

"Yes, she's fine," she said. "We were just wondering if you were going to call or not…Uh huh…Well you come on over tomorrow morning and we can discuss it."

Mrs. Brown gave a smile and handed the phone to Lenni.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Rob said in a sleepy voice. "You doing okay?"

"I'm doing a lot better," she said. "Mrs. Brown knows what she's doing."

"One of our best foster parents," Rob said. "Jason says you can trust her…but try not to stay long. She's got enough kids as it is."

"I noticed that. Is there any way I can get back to New York? The Fernandez's would take me in."

"I was talking to Jason about that…and there _is_ a way. I'll uh…be coming over tomorrow so we can talk about it."

"Not tonight?"

"Sorry…but I'm about to drop off any minute here. Jet lag is a _killer_ when you fly east."

"Oh right," Lenni said. "You fell asleep at my place when you flew back from Australia before."

"Yeah," Rob yawned. "Really thought the case would keep me awake."

"I'd better let you go to bed then," Lenni smiled. "Goodnight Rob."

Lenni giggled, as there was snoring from the other end.

* * *

In September of 1993, the team was gathered at Lenni's loft. Tina was especially anxious, as her friend Safira was still missing. Ghostwriter had sent them a list of words near Safira and they were all discussing how they fit together. But then the phone rang and Lenni answered it.

"Oh," Lenni said. "Yes Mrs. Fernandez. Right away."

"Lemme guess," Alex said. "We gotta go home."

"So do I actually," Jamal said.

"Me too," said Rob.

"But…we can't!" Tina cried.

"But it's late, Tina," Lenni said.

"And Safira's still out there," Tina whimpered. "But where?"

Lenni patted her on the back.

"Let's meet back here first thing in the morning," Lenni said.

"This is going to be the longest night of my life," Tina sighed.

The others went out the door as Jamal waited for Tina. Tina then looked around.

"Where's Rob?" she asked. "I told my dad the two of you would walk me home."

"Um…I don't think Rob is going anywhere," Jamal said.

Jamal nodded to the couch, where Rob was now snoring. Lenni was slapping his head, trying to wake him up.

"Rob!" she yelled. "Get up! I am _not_ letting you sleep in here!"

But Rob only snored and Tina scratched her head.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked.

Jamal groaned.

"Oh man," he said. "Rob just flew back yesterday. He has jet lag!"

"Oh for…you mean he won't wake up?" Lenni asked.

"It'll be awfully hard to," said Jamal. "He's on a different time zone. Probably feels like three in the morning to him."

"But what am I supposed to _do_ with him?" Lenni asked. "He's the size of a horse."

"I heard that," Rob mumbled.

"Good!" Lenni yelled. "Get off my couch!"

But Rob was snoring again. Lenni finally went to the phone and dialed a number.

"Jamal…go ahead and take Tina home," she said. "I'll take care of Sleeping Beauty."

Jamal nodded and went with Tina as Lenni spoke on the phone.

"Hello Colonel Baker? It's Lenni Frasier," Lenni said. "So sorry to wake you but I have a very big problem fast asleep on my sofa. Think you can help me out?"

Lenni then grinned and held the phone up to Rob's ear.

"ROBERT ALEXANDER BAKER! WAKE UP AND GET HOME NOW!"

Rob suddenly started and fell off the couch. Lenni grinned and spoke again.

"Thank you very much Colonel," she said. "Yes, I'll send him straight home. Bye."

"That's dirty pool," Rob groaned from the floor.

* * *

Rob came over early the next day. Lenni was rather surprised to see him in the kitchen, having coffee with Mrs. Brown.

"Wow," she said. "That was fast."

"Another part of jet lag," he said. "I woke up at four in the morning."

"We were just discussing your options," Mrs. Brown said.

"I want to go back to New York," Lenni said, sitting down. "And Rob says there's a way."

"Well…there is…but let me give you _all_ your options," Mrs. Brown said. "Now your file says you'll be eighteen next year in October…so your first option would be to stay here until then."

"But…that's a year and a half away," Lenni said. "And you have a lot of other girls to care for."

"This is true," Mrs. Brown said. "Another option would be for this…Ms. Lewis…to adopt you and take you back to New York."

"Right," Lenni said. "She was my dad's girlfriend…and was planning on doing that when…they finally got married."

Lenni felt sad at the thought of Sally, whom her father had loved a great deal.

"She won't get to marry him now," she sighed.

"I know," Mrs. Brown said softly. "And that's a major obstacle too. Mrs. Lewis is British…and it would be an international adoption. You would likely turn eighteen before it could be finalized."

Lenni sighed as Rob shifted in his chair.

"Which brings us to the uh…third option," he said.

"What's that?" Lenni asked.

Rob swallowed hard and gave her a rather timid look.

"Me."

Lenni peered at him.

"You?"

Rob nodded as he gripped his coffee.

"I'm eighteen…and old enough to…to marry you."


	3. Chapter 3

THE WAY HOME – PART THREE

Lenni's eyes grew wide as Rob looked at the table. Mrs. Brown gave a smile and nodded.

"Normally you would need parental consent…as you're under eighteen," she said. "But you are currently a ward of the state, so I could sign the documents allowing you to marry him."

Lenni nodded and looked at Rob, who looked up at her. His eyes looked the same as when she first met him, terribly shy and rather nervous. Mrs. Brown then got up.

"But I'll leave you two to discuss it," she said.

"Right," Lenni said. "Could we uh…go over to the park though?"

"That'd be fine. Just be back for lunch."

Lenni nodded and they both got up. Rob grabbed his board and they walked over to the park, a rather awkward silence between them. But Rob still put his arm around Lenni, which she found comforting. When they got to the park, they found a bench a sat down.

"Is uh…that what you were talking to your bother about?" Lenni finally asked.

Rob nodded, staring at the grass.

"What'd he say?" Lenni asked.

"He asked me…if I love you."

Lenni swallowed as Rob looked over at her.

"And I told him I did."

"You…you do?"

Rob nodded as he slid his hand over her hair.

"I always have," he said shyly.

Lenni bit her lip and rubbed her arm.

"I know," she said. "But…enough to get married?"

"If you really want to."

Lenni looked at him and saw that he meant it.

"You'd really…do that for me?"

Rob gave a shy smile.

"I'd do anything for you," he said. "But…I won't do anything…you don't want me to."

Lenni bit her lip as he withdrew his hand, looking back at the grass. She gave a sigh and took his hand.

"I do…want you to," she said.

Rob looked at her again, his eyes wide.

"You sure?"

"Rob…I love you too," she said. "And…I really _really_ want to go home. I'm just…a little scared…is all."

Rob nodded and put his other hand over hers.

"I am too," he said. "But…I'll take care of you."

"How?" she asked.

"I don't know yet," he said. "But we'll find a way to…to make it work."

Lenni nodded as Rob took a deep breath.

"Will you marry me?"

Lenni smiled as she grew warm all over.

"Yes."

Lenni felt plenty awkward as she got ready to go to the Justice of the Peace. The police had managed to get her things from her uncle's house, so she put on her white dress with roses on it. It was a bit short, so she put leggings on under it. One of the other girls gave her a small bouquet of red flowers to go with it. Mrs. Brown smiled and took her over to the Justice of the Peace. Jason was there with Rob, both of them in nice suits and Rob wearing a red necktie. Jason went with the Browns, patting Rob on the back as he went over to Lenni. She sighed and fingered the necktie.

"Is uh…this the same one…you were gagged with?" she asked him.

"Same one," he said, giving a slight laugh. "But the suit is Jason's. I outgrew the other one."

Lenni nodded as he smiled at her, running his fingers over her dress.

"This looks familiar too," he said.

"Yeah," she said. "I was wearing it…when they got you out of the tunnel. Only one I have that's white…and still fits."

Rob nodded as Lenni took out a ring box.

"I uh…brought this too."

"But…are those your parents'?"

"Yeah," she said. "I think they would…you know…want us to use them."

Rob bit his lip and opened the box, which held two simple wedding bands. The smaller one had a few small stones in it. Rob closed it again and put it in his pocket before taking Lenni's hands.

"You sure…you're ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

They joined the others and went to see the Justice of the Peace. He conducted a very simple ceremony, allowing them to exchange the rings and recite the basic vows. When he finally said they were husband and wife, Lenni realized that she had never kissed Rob before. She looked up at him and he nervously leaned forward, brushing her lips with his. Lenni timidly kissed him back as the others clapped.

"Congratulations," Mrs. Brown said.

"Thanks," Lenni said, looking at Rob. "So…can we go home now?"

Rob grinned and turned to his brother, who handed him an envelope.

"What's this?" Lenni asked.

"Jason's wedding gift," Rob said. "Two bus tickets to New York."

"We're going by bus?"

"He says we need to discuss a lot of things on the way there," Rob sighed.

"I guess we do," Lenni blushed. "Mrs. Brown gave me her gift already."

Lenni didn't elaborate on this and Rob raised an eyebrow, figuring it was better not to ask at the time. Jason then took out a camera and had them pose for pictures. When they went to the bus station, he took more pictures after they had changed into travel clothes. They got on the bus and waved, Rob and his brother signing to each other up until the bus started pulling out.

"What was he saying?" Lenni asked.

"Just going on and on about how mad Mom's going to be," Rob said.

"Uh oh," Lenni said. "She didn't want you getting married so soon?"

"Oh not that," he said. "She's just going to be mad that she didn't get to plan a wedding. Always said that she wanted to do that for us when the time came."

Lenni raised her eyebrows and nodded.

"Well…maybe we can have a nicer one…later," she said.

Rob looked at her and gave a nod.

"She'd like that."

Lenni gave a smile.

"I did like your mom," she said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. In fact…was I the only one who even met her?"

"You were. I remember that."

* * *

It was spring of 1993. Lenni panted as she trotted up the stairs after Rob.

"I have _got_ to stop locking myself out of the house," she said.

"Especially when the bodega's closed," Rob said. "People are gonna talk if you keep coming home with me."

"Rob!"

"Just sayin'."

He went to the right apartment, which was already open.

"I think Mom's home today," he said. "Mom?"

Lenni smiled as a lovely woman with dark brown hair in a messy bun came in.

"Why hello there," she said.

"Hi," Lenni said. "I'm Lenni."

"She got locked out," Rob shrugged.

"Again," Lenni muttered.

"Well you're welcome to hang out here," Rob's mother said. "I never get to meet any of Rob's friends."

"Well if they'd fix the elevator…"

"I know," she sighed. "I've got my things all over the table so why don't you take her to your room?"

"Yeah," Lenni said. "You wouldn't let me see it last time."

"Well it was kind of a mess last time," Rob said. "Let me get some stuff put away first."

Rob went to tidy his room as Lenni studied the papers on the table.

"What's all this?"

"My schoolwork," she said. "I'm getting a degree in zoology at NYU while we're here."

"You're still in school?"

"Well I went when I was younger…but never finished," she said.

"Why not?"

"There was a certain young man that I met at a dance," she told her, giving a grin.

Lenni gave a giggle and leaned on the table.

"Was it Colonel Baker?"

"Oh he wasn't a colonel yet," she said. "He was a fascinating and very adventurous fighter pilot."

"And handsome?"

"Well I have a son now that looks just like his father did," Rob's mother said. "What do you think?"

Lenni giggled and blushed a bit as Rob's mother sorted some of her papers.

"So…you couldn't finish school because you met a guy?" she asked.

"Well it wasn't a problem at first," she said. "But then he got sent to Vietnam…and was over there for a year."

Lenni's eyes grew wide.

"A whole _year_?"

"Yes," Rob's mother sighed. "And I missed him something terrible. I got wonderful love letters from him…but it wasn't the same as being with him in person."

"Wow," Lenni said. "It must have been so hard."

"It was," she said. "Then when he finally _did_ come back, he tells me he's being sent to Germany."

"Germany?" Lenni gasped.

"Yes. We didn't want to have to spend _more_ time apart…so we got married," she said. "But I had to drop out of school to go to Germany with him…and was never able to finish until now."

"Wow," Lenni said. "You must have…really loved him."

"I did," she smiled. "And I _still_ do. And he's kept his promise that I could go back to school now that he's out of the air force."

"Right," Lenni said. "Rob said guys won't be moving around anymore."

"Well you never know what might happen," she said. "But Rob _really_ wants us to stay here for some funny reason."

She grinned at Lenni, who smiled back. Rob then returned with a bag of laundry.

"Okay," he said. "Room's clear."

"Took you long enough," Lenni teased.

"You _want_ to see all my dirty underwear?"

"Rob!"

Rob laughed as his mother glared at him. Lenni giggled and went into the bedroom. The first thing she noticed were all the license plates and street signs on the walls.

"Are these all the places you've lived?"

"Mostly," Rob said. "Although I wasn't born until we got…here."

He pointed to an Oklahoma license plate, which was hanging by the bunk bed.

"Cool bed," Lenni said, standing on her toes. "Which one do you sleep on?"

"Depends on if my brother's home," Rob said. "He makes me sleep on the top one."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah," Rob said, taking out a photograph.

Lenni saw the picture had two boys sitting on the beach, who looked exactly the same except for one being a bit taller.

"Wow," she said. "You could be twins."

"Lot of people say that," Rob said. "Only difference between me and Jason…are five years and working ears."

"Working ears?"

Rob gave a sigh.

"Jason's deaf," he said. "He just graduated from a special school in Council Bluffs, Iowa…and now goes to Chicago University."

"Oh wow," Lenni said. "So…how long since you've seen him?"

"He was here for Christmas," Rob shrugged. "And we write a lot."

Lenni nodded and noticed an unfinished letter on the desk. There was also an open notebook, although Rob quickly closed it.

"Forgot to put this away," he muttered. "Too busy checking for underwear."

"You keep a diary?" Lenni teased.

"A _journal_," Rob said, peering at her.

"Whatever," Lenni shrugged. "I just know Gaby keeps a diary…and doesn't let anyone read it. Even Ghostwriter knows to leave it alone."

"Yeah," Rob said. "He leaves mine alone too. Wish he was that considerate about my poetry though."

Lenni raised an eyebrow as Rob picked up the journal and turned back the pages.

"Let's see…_Monday…working in the computer room_," he read. "_Strange words start appearing again out of nowhere. He says he's a friend…and his friends call him Ghostwriter. I asked him how he knew my name…and he said he's read my poems. WHAT IS UP WITH PEOPLE READING MY STUFF!?_"

Rob shook the journal and Lenni giggled.

"You were still sore at Alex, huh?" she asked.

"Well yeah," Rob said. "Guy starts accusing me of stuff in the middle of the cafeteria…has one of my papers…and won't tell me how he got it. Why wouldn't I be hacked off?"

Lenni sighed as Rob looked at the journal again.

"Right here," Rob said. "_The ghost thing said he was sorry. Seems he's more polite than some of the other students_."

"Hoo boy," Lenni said. "But…you made up right?"

"That was a bit later in the day," Rob said, turning the page. "_Found Jamal at lunch…but he's talking to that crazy Latino guy. Turns out both of them can see Ghostwriter too. I had to show them my story and the Latino guy gets all apologetic and embarrassed, so I guess I forgive him. His name is Alex and he went off "creep hunting" when Ghostwriter sent him a message. Jamal says Ghostwriter is helping them find out who's putting up the nasty flyers…and who ISN'T_."

Rob closed the journal and Lenni nodded.

"Ghostwriter cleared Neetu too," she said. "Turns out it was _Calvin_…and you _know_ how we got back at _him_."

"Right," he said, opening the journal again. "Here we go. _Jamal asked me a favor today. Seems the team wanted a spy to get dirt on this creep Calvin, since he's the one they were looking for. Had to be me since the guy doesn't know me yet. So I go to this store to talk to this woman who NEVER STOPS TALKING and a parrot who talks EVEN MORE THAN SHE DOES! That was a fun job. I wonder if they'll need my services again._"

Both Rob and Lenni laughed heartily. A while later, Lenni's father called and then came by to pick her up.

"I'm glad you got friends looking out for you, Bips," her father said.

"Yeah," Lenni said. "I sure wish Rob lived a bit closer though.

* * *

Lenni woke up and the bus was still rumbling along. Rob was gazing out the window, one arm around her as she'd been sleeping on his shoulder. He saw she was awake and rubbed her arm.

"Have a good nap?"

"Yeah," she said, hugging him. "Where are we?"

"Coming up on Cleveland," he said. "Roughly halfway."

Lenni nodded as she sat up, digging in her pockets. She pulled out what had been poking at her and blushed a bit.

"Oh yeah," she said, putting it back.

"Were uh…those Mrs. Brown's present?" he asked.

Lenni blushed and nodded.

"Got them for me…last week," she said. "Said I'd need them since I was…getting married."

"Right," Rob nodded. "Gary Hobson gave me something…similar."

"Rob!"

"Well he _did_."

Lenni blushed as he put his arm around her again. She sighed and snuggled up next to him.

"Do you think…we should live together?" she asked. "I mean…we're still in high school."

"Yeah," he sighed. "I was wondering that too. How we gonna pay rent?"

"I don't know," she said softly.

Rob rubbed her arm again.

"Maybe you could just stay with Alex and Gaby," he said.

"But what about you?"

"I dunno," he said. "I mean…I could go back to Australia…"

"No!" Lenni protested. "I need you Rob."

"I know," he sighed. "It's just…I have _one_ semester left of high school."

"So finish in New York."

Rob sighed and nodded.

"I guess I could," he said. "I'd have to start the year over...but I've got changing schools down to a fine art. But…where would _I_ stay?"

"You have loads of friends in New York, Rob," she said. "Jamal…Hector…Victor…"

"Jamal and Victor both have big families though," Rob said. "And I've never met Hector's mom. She might get creeped out with me staying with him."

"Well…what about Double-T?" Lenni asked. "He's still around…and lives all alone."

Rob nodded and gave a smile.

"That might work," he said. "I'll have to ask him."

Lenni smiled as she snuggled up to him again.

"Do…do you really love me, Rob?" she asked.

"You think I don't?"

"Well it's just…you never said anything…before."

Rob sighed and pulled her closer, kissing her hair.

"I was just…too nervous to do it," he said. "Why I would tease Alex and Jamal all the time."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Not that it worked."

Lenni peered at him as Rob sat back in his seat.

* * *

It was February, 1993. Rob sat down to eat lunch with Alex and Jamal on the Monday after the Star Jam.

"So come on, Jamal," Alex said. "How was the hot date with Jasmine?"

"Yeah, Mr. Cool," Rob said. "You get a kiss?"

"You honestly think I'd tell either of _you_ if I did?" Jamal grinned.

Alex and Rob laughed at this as Jamal shook his head.

"Well I _got_ my girl now," he said. "It's you two that need to get on the ball."

"What you talking about?" Alex asked.

"Well where's _your_ girl, hot shot?" Jamal asked him.

Alex said nothing but Rob gave a sly grin.

"His girl is over at Washington Elementary," Rob said. "Hangs out with Gaby…and carries a video camera."

"Hey!" Alex said.

"Oh _really_?" Jamal asked.

"How'd you know about that?" Alex frowned.

"I saw you two leaving the movie theatre," Rob grinned. "And you were _holding hands_."

Alex went red as Jamal laughed.

"My oh my," he said. "When was this?"

"Right after the Lana Barnes award ceremony," Rob said. "Went by the movie theater on my home from the doctor's office. That crazy stunt double lady gave me a concussion."

Jamal laughed and looked at Alex, who was glaring at Rob.

"I uh…guess she was _performing_ at the Star Jam though," Jamal said.

"Yeah, yeah," Alex said. "But what about _you_, Baker?"

"I don't have time for girls," Rob shrugged. "Been a mite busy as of late."

"Busy?" Alex asked. "You just had a track article to write…and a case to solve."

"And a friend getting framed," Jamal said. "And maybe a little run-in with a _gang_ to deal with."

"Still can't believe you did that," Alex said.

"Yeah yeah," Rob said. "And you guys _honestly_ think a girl's gonna go for a guy with _my_ track record?"

"He's got a point," Jamal said.

"So get a girl that doesn't _know_ about all those things," Alex said.

"Only girl I'd even _consider_ already does," Rob muttered.

Alex and Jamal looked at each other and Jamal rubbed his chin.

"And uh…was performing in the Star Jam too?"

"No."

Rob got up and gathered his things before leaning forward and whispering.

"She was _directing_ the Star Jam."

Jamal and Alex stared at Rob, who turned to leave. But then he turned back to them and jammed his finger at their noses.

"And if you say _one word_ about this," he hissed. "So help me I will pummel you so hard it'll make the Thunderheads look like a troop of girl scouts!"

Jamal and Alex grinned at each other and then back at Rob.

"Mum's the word," Jamal said.

"Our lips are sealed," Alex agreed.

Rob gave them a look before leaving. Alex and Jamal then looked at each other.

"Man…did you know about that?" Alex asked.

"I kind of wondered," Jamal said.

* * *

Rob yawned when the bus finally pulled into New York. He woke up Lenni and they grabbed their things. They had called Alex from Cleveland to let him know they were coming, so the bodega was still open. The whole Fernandez family came out to hug Lenni and shook Rob's hand.

"Boy am I glad you showed up," Alex said. "We were worried sick."

"Well a certain somebody wasn't going to let me rest until I _did_ show up," Rob whispered to him. "He was just as worried as the rest of us."

"Wow Rob," Gaby said. "Is that you?"

"That's what I thought when _I_ saw him," Lenni said. "How tall are you now?"

"Six foot two," Rob shrugged.

"He's got three inches on you, Alex," Gaby grinned.

"Knock it off," Alex said. "You need a place to stay too, Rob?"

"I already made arrangements with Double-T," Rob said, yawning. "I'd better get over there before I fall over. Night everybody."

At Double-T's place, the old veteran gave Rob a hearty welcome. He then let Rob call his family in Australia to let him know he had arrived.

"Yeah Dad," Rob sighed. "She's okay. The thing is we…that is…"

Rob took a deep breath.

"I married her."

Double-T did a double-take as Rob swallowed.

"Yessir," he said. "I know that…but it was the only way to get her back to New York…Well I don't know…She doesn't want me to leave again…What?...You really think…we should?"

Double-T peered at Rob, who was rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well…I guess…we can talk about it," he said, yawning. "Yeah I am…okay…I'll call again…Bye."

Rob hung up the phone as Double-T nodded.

"Hold on there," he said. "You mean to say you _married_ this girl?"

"Yeah," Rob said, wringing his hands. "It was the only option we had…that brought her back to New York. And…I love her."

"Well I know that," Double-T said. "Good grief, you flew halfway across the world to get back to her."

"I know," Rob said. "But…I'm scared. I'm not sure if…if she really loves me."

Double-T raised an eyebrow.

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that."

* * *

It was a sunny day in summer, 1994. Lenni was crying as she sat on the promenade at Brooklyn Heights. She looked up when she heard a voice, calling out for people to purchase poems.

"Double-T!" she said, wiping her face.

"Well hey there," said Double-T. "I remember you. Music girl."

"Yeah," she said. "How are you?"

"Doing better than you are I take it," Double-T said, handing her a tissue.

Lenni sighed and wiped her face.

"Sorry," she said. "I've just been…upset…and confused."

"What's the problem?"

"Well…you remember Rob, right?"

"How could I forget?" Double-T said. "Craziest kid…and best friend…I ever had."

"Yeah," Lenni sighed. "He was a great friend to me too. I just…I really miss him."

"Is that why you're crying?"

"Partly," she said. "I wrote a song…and wanted to send it to him. But Tuan doesn't want me to."

"Who's that?"

"The guy I went to prom with," Lenni said. "He's kind of…my boyfriend…I guess. And he doesn't like me writing to Rob. But Rob was the one I was thinking of when I wrote the song."

Double-T nodded and looked at her.

"Do you love him?"

"Well…I'm not sure," Lenni said. "I still don't know him very well…and I don't like him saying what I should do with my own songs."

"No not him," Double-T said.

Lenni looked at him and he smiled.

"Rob. Do you love…Rob?"

Lenni stared at him.

"Why ask me that?"

"Just wonderin'…if this other guy has reason to be jealous," Double-T said.

Lenni sat back on the bench and looked out over the river.

"I guess…I never thought about it before," she said. "He was a friend."

"Yeah," Double-T said. "It usually starts out that way."

Lenni nodded and then thought about Rob. The way he looked at her when he was still shy. How he'd goof around with her when he wasn't. How he always hung out at her house when there was a case, just in case a rally message arrived. How heartbroken she felt when she found out he was leaving.

"Maybe…maybe Tuan _should_ be jealous," she said, blinking. "I do care about Rob an awful lot. And I miss him something terrible. And I don't want to stop writing to him. His letters are so beautiful."

"I know," Double-T said. "I get those too."

Lenni looked at him as Double-T looked across the river at the New York City skyline.

_As I stand on the shore and gaze out over the sea,_

_My thoughts are ever with her,_

_And her voice sings to me._

_Will I ever see those eyes again,_

_That reached my very soul?_

_Will I ever touch her skin so soft,_

_Or smell the fragrance of her hair?_

_Will she ever know the words,_

_I should have said,_

_But never did?_

Lenni gaped at Double-T.

"Did…did you write that…or was it…him?" she asked.

Double-T gave a sly grin.

"Who do _you_ think?"

Lenni swallowed as Double-T gave a wink.

"Do you love him?"

Lenni blushed and nodded.

"I do now."

* * *

Rob buried his face in his hands as his old friend laughed.

"You _told_ her that one?" Rob said.

"She needed to hear it, Rob," Double-T said. "And I owed it to you."

Rob sighed as Double-T patted him on the back.

"But love isn't enough, you know," he said.

Rob looked at him.

"It's…not?"

"Oh no," he said. "If it was…I wouldn't have run from mine. It wasn't enough…just to love her. She had to feel it coming."

Rob shook his head.

"I don't get it."

"It's like…speaking another language," Double-T said. "If I don't understand your language…I ain't gonna catch what you're saying."

"Yeah."

"Women…don't speak the same language guys do," Double-T said. "For us it's all honor…respect…and duty. But a woman…speaks in flowers…and colors…and beautiful things that men can't even see. And it takes a lot of work…to see the world the way…a woman does."

"And you couldn't…see it?"

Double-T sighed.

"Before the war…I could," he said. "Poetry…was my door to a woman's eyes…and to her heart. But after…that door was shut tight. I had been in a man's world for so long…I couldn't get it open again."

Double-T looked at Rob and shook his finger.

"Keep the door open, Rob," he said. "The door to her heart…is open right now. It always is when you first start out. But you have to _keep_ it open…or it may slam shut…and try as you might…it's closed forever."

* * *

Lenni was having dinner with the Fernandez family and told them about how Rob rescued her from her uncle. Of course, only Alex and Gaby knew how Rob knew that she needed help and where exactly she was. Lenni then wondered if she should tell them about how she got back to New York when Gaby noticed her ring.

"Is that new?" Gaby asked.

"Oh no," Lenni said. "This was my mom's ring."

"It's beautiful," Gaby said. "Do you have your dad's too?"

"I uh…gave that one to…Rob."

"Huh?" Gaby asked. "What'd you do that for?"

"Because…I married him."

Gaby gasped as Alex coughed and Mr. and Mrs. Fernandez stared at Lenni.

"You _married_ him?" Gaby asked.

Lenni took a deep breath and explained how she and Rob came to be married. She then braced herself for a lecture on getting married too young.

"Lenni," Mrs. Fernandez said. "If you and Rob are married…you need to be living together."

Lenni stared at her, as this wasn't the response she was expecting.

"I agree with you, Estella," said Mr. Fernandez.

"But…we're still in high school," Lenni said. "We can't afford our own place."

"Even so," said Mrs. Fernandez. "You are going to have to find a way to do it. Even if one of you needs to work while the other finishes school."

"And it's not impossible," said Mr. Fernandez. "It is not so uncommon to marry young…and there are many advantages as well."

"How old were you and Mama when you got married?" Alex asked.

"I was older," said Mr. Fernandez. "But your mother was only seventeen."

"Sixteen, Eduardo," said Mrs. Fernandez. "But _almost_ seventeen."

"Wow," Lenni said. "That's the same age I am."

"Is Rob really eighteen already?" Alex asked.

"Yes," Lenni said. "Moving around put him behind in school…although he's caught up now. He only has one semester left...but will have to do the year over if he moves back here."

"Best for him to finish first," said Mr. Fernandez. "Then he can find work to support you."

"But you should wait on having children until you are older," said Mrs. Fernandez.

"Mama!" Gaby said.

"Oh we…already agreed on that," Lenni said, blushing. "Miz Brown took me to get birth control pills as a wedding present."

"Seriously?" Gaby asked.

"Well they _are_ married," Alex grinned. "Rob's probably looking forward to _that_ part."

"ALEX!"

"What?" Alex said. "Rob's always had the hots for Lenni."

"He did?" Gaby asked.

"Rob told me about that," Lenni said. "Talking to you and Jamal after the Star Jam."

"Well that's when I found out about it," Alex said. "But Jamal said he liked you even before then."

"Really?" asked Lenni.

"Jamal was probably talking about the concert in the garden," Gaby said.

* * *

It was March, 1993. The community garden had finally reopened after the barrels of toxic waste had been removed. Max and his band were playing and Sally was smiling as she watched them. Lenni noticed this and went over to Rob, whispering in his ear. He gave a grin and went over to Sally, taking her hand.

"Dance with me!" he said.

"Oh now, Rob," Sally laughed.

"Come on!"

Rob got Sally to her feet and started dancing with her. Lenni giggled and went up to the band, where she whispered in her father's ear. She then took over playing the keyboard as her father jumped down to Sally and Rob.

"Can I cut in?" he asked.

"Max!" Sally giggled.

"Oh all right," Rob said. "I guess she's a little tall for me."

Sally laughed as the song started playing slower. Max drew her closer and they gazed into each other's eyes. Lenni smiled and let Peter take over the keyboard and went to sit on the wall. Rob had grabbed a soda and sat next to her.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem."

They watched Max and Sally for a while and Lenni sighed.

"It really scared me at first…when my dad started liking Sally."

Rob looked at her and she shrugged.

"But I'm okay with it now," she said. "We don't have to forget Mom…just because he's with someone else."

Rob raised his eyebrows and gave a nod.

"You're pretty brave, Lenni," he said. "I don't think I'd be able to do that."

"Really?"

"Well I'm amazed Mom fell for Dad in the first place," he shrugged. "He's a real stick-in-the-mud."

Lenni gave a giggle.

"Give him some credit, Rob. Your mom loved him enough to drop out of school and get married."

"That's what amazes me," he said. "I mean…I've been hopping from base to base all over the country because I have no choice. But she actually_ chose_ to marry my dad…knowing full well how hard it is to be in the military."

Lenni bit her lip as he shook his head.

"Dad wants me to join the service too…but I don't want to do that to my family. If I ever have one….that is."

Rob went a bit pink and Lenni grinned.

"Oh I think you will," she said. "Your mom said your dad was too dashing and handsome to resist…and you look just like him."

Rob looked at her with rather wide eyes, but Lenni just grinned and went back to watching Max and Sally.

* * *

Lenni woke up to voices outside the door. She sat up and found herself in Gaby's room, although in her own bed, which had been moved down there when her father first passed away. Next to it was Claude, her mother's easel, and a small nightstand that she had found on the side of the road and fixed up. She got up and dressed before going out to the bodega, where she found Mr. Fernandez.

"Oh there you are," he said. "The landlord was just here. He took Rob up to see your old place."

"Oh," Lenni said. "But…there's no way Rob could afford it."

"Don't be so sure," Mr. Fernandez said. "He was saying something about a deal."

Lenni thought about this and went upstairs. She found Rob in her old loft, which looked about the same except for the instruments and some of the smaller items being missing.

"There you are, Lenni," the landlord smiled. "Everything's set up for you."

"What is?" she asked.

"It's like this," Rob said. "You can move back in and my dad will pay the lease for one year."

Lenni gasped.

"He will?"

"Yeah…but there's a catch," Rob sighed.

Lenni took a deep breath.

"Okay. What do we have to do?"

"First off…we both have to finish high school."

"Well we should do that anyway," Lenni said. "What else?"

Rob went a bit red and took a deep breath.

"I have to live here with you."

Lenni bit her lip and nodded.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fernandez were saying the same thing. Guess your dad agrees with them."

"More like my _mom_ does," Rob said. "And finally…"

Rob paused and Lenni raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

Rob looked at her and sighed.

"I join the military."


	4. Chapter 4

THE WAY HOME – PART FOUR

Lenni swallowed hard as she processed this news. She looked at the landlord, who donned his hat.

"I'll let you two talk about it," he said. "Call me later with your decision."

"Thank you," Lenni said, rubbing her arms.

The landlord left and Rob flopped down on the large corner sofa, which was now covered in a sheet. She sat next to him as he ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Rob," she said.

"Oh it's okay," he sighed, looking at the ceiling. "Not like I didn't see it coming."

Lenni nodded and took his hand.

"Maybe…there's another way," she said. "Like…one of us getting a job."

"Lenni," he said, looking at her. "We're not even done with school yet. Even if one of us worked full-time, we wouldn't make enough to afford anything in Brooklyn."

Lenni sighed as he sat up and faced her.

"This is your home, Lenni," he said. "And I know you want to live here."

"But…you never wanted to serve in military," she said.

"I never said that."

Lenni peered at him and he sighed.

"Lenni…I _love_ the military," he said. "I just never enjoyed the moving around part."

"But…would you really be willing to join…just for me?" Lenni asked.

Rob gave her a look.

"Lenni," he said, in a rather strained voice. "I flew back from Australia to save you. I _married_ you. When are you going to understand that I'd do just about _anything_ to keep you safe and happy?"

Lenni sighed as Rob stroked her face.

"I love you, Lenni," he said. "And yes, I will join the military for your sake. I won't make a career out of it…but I'll do the four years."

Lenni looked up.

"Just four years?"

"Well yeah," he shrugged. "Four years of service and you qualify for the G.I. Bill. Don't you know that?"

"I'm not military," Lenni said.

Rob gave a nod and a slight smile.

"The G.I. Bill pays for college if you serve for four years," he said.

"Oh," Lenni said. "So…after four years…"

"We come back here…and I can go to NYU for free," he said. "Get a degree and join the workforce. And if I play my cards right, I can get a book published by then."

"Yeah," she said. "I can still write songs while we're moving around…and should have enough for another record deal by the time you're in college."

Rob nodded and peered at her.

"Were you planning on going to college yourself?"

"Rob…you know I don't have the brains for school," Lenni said. "I'm an artist, not a scholar."

Rob gave a nod as she gripped his hands.

"I guess…we have a plan then," he said.

"Yeah," she said. "Let me go call the landlord."

They spent the rest of the morning moving things back into Lenni's loft. Jamal brought by all the boxes that had been placed in his basement. Alex and Gaby helped Rob bring up Claude the easel. Tina brought over all of Lenni's clothes that she had stored at the tailor shop. Finally, Rob brought up the bedside table.

"I remember this," he said.

"Yeah right?" Lenni said. "We found it in the middle of the road…but you said it was a piece of junk."

"It _was_ a piece of junk," he said. "But you were determined to recycle the thing…and good grief, it's still here."

"Told you I'd fix it up," she said. "Now you can put it in the bedroom."

Rob nodded and carried the table into the bedroom and put it by the window. Lenni sighed and looked around.

"This was Dad's room," she said sadly.

"You uh…don't want to use yours?" Rob asked.

"No," she sighed. "It's too small for both of us…and I had Jamal put all the boxes in there."

Rob blushed a bit as she rubbed his back.

"So…when's the band bringing the instruments?"

"Not until three," Lenni said.

Rob nodded and sighed as he sat down on the bed. He bit his lip as Lenni drew the curtains and then sat next to him. Rob swallowed hard, but Lenni drew close to him, pushing back the outer shirt he was wearing.

"Lenni…"

"Rob," she said, touching his face.

Rob swallowed again as she leaned up and kissed him, not stopping until he timidly kissed her back. He finally put his arms around her and she sighed as he pulled her back on the bed.

* * *

In Gaby's room, Tina and Jamal were hanging out with Alex and Gaby, eating cookies and glancing at the ceiling.

"Gotten awfully quiet up there," Alex grinned.

"Alex," Gaby said.

"He's got a point," Jamal said. "And they _are_ married."

"I still can't believe she married _Rob_," Tina said.

"You're just disappointed that she's not your sister-in-law," Alex said.

"I suppose," Tina said. "But…Tuan wasn't a good fit anyway. They went right from fighting like cats and dogs…to going out. There wasn't any time that they were just…good friends."

"Yeah," said Gaby. "And Lenni and Rob were _great_ friends…even before they liked each other."

"Although they _always_ liked each other," Jamal said.

"Oh yeah," Alex said. "Gaby was talking about them hanging out at the garden party."

"Uh…but you forget," Jamal said. "The Star Jam was _before_ the garden party. It was in winter…and the garden party was in the spring."

"Oh yeah," Gaby said. "I always flip those two things around for some reason. Might be a side effect of the perc."

"There was also when Rob got that concussion," Tina said. "That's when _I_ began to wonder about those two."

* * *

It was November, 1992. Tina was at the hospital with Lana Barnes, who came out from her appointment.

"So what'd the doctor say?" Tina asked.

"It's just a _mild_ concussion," Lana said. "Janine _really_ doesn't have anything to worry about."

"It's good that you took her advice and had it checked though," Tina said. "I mean…you _did_ get conked on the head with a gong mallet."

"I suppose," Lana said. "But perhaps that friend of yours should get checked too. Roberta got him with a Chinese vase and that's a _much_ heavier object."

"I know," said Tina. "But Rob says he was only knocked out for a minute. He came to before she was finished tying him up."

"And he couldn't get free?"

"Well he said he was dizzy," Tina said. "And Roberta's _awfully_ strong."

As they came out of the hospital, a car drove up and Lenni jumped out with Jamal and Alex. Tina and Lana looked at each other and ran over.

"What's going on?" Tina asked.

"Rob passed out in gym class," Alex said.

"What!?"

"Oh dear," Lana said. "Roberta _is_ strong."

"Help us get him out," Jamal said.

"I'll get a nurse," Tina said.

Lana helped Jamal and Alex get Rob out of the car. His eyes were open, but unfocused. Tina returned with an orderly, who brought a wheelchair and Lenni talked to the driver through the window.

"We'll get him inside Colonel Baker," she said.

Rob was soon checked in and diagnosed with a full concussion. Tina would come by with Lana to check on him and always found Lenni in his room. Rob would be groaning as Lenni applied ice packs to his head.

"You are a brave set of detectives, Pookie," Lana said.

"But not always bright," Tina sighed. "Gaby _told_ him not to go into the dressing room."

"Tina," Lenni hissed.

"No no," Rob sighed. "Tina's right. I should've listened to Gaby instead of pretending to be Stone Harrison."

"Oh now, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Lana said. "Roberta got me too. She's a very formidable adversary when she wants to be."

"I'll say," Rob said. "She should forget this stunt-double stuff...and play the part of the villain. That's a strong arm she's got."

"Maybe you can write a script for that," Tina smiled.

"I should," Rob said. "A villain that carries a vase and a gong mallet."

The others laughed as Rob winced and held his head again. Lenni sighed and stroked his hair.

"How about you rest for now?" she said. "Visiting hours are almost over."

"Yes ma'am," Rob sighed. "But I'd rest a lot easier if you didn't keep bringing me homework."

Lenni shook her head and put a folder full of papers on the nightstand. Tina and Lana giggled and left the room, but Tina peeked back long enough to see Lenni slide her hand through Rob's hair again.

* * *

Tina and Gaby were giggling at the story when Hector came into the room, carrying a computer. Alex shook his head as he and Jamal took it from him and put it on the desk.

"How come you didn't call us?" Jamal asked. "We'd have helped you carry this."

"I want to build up my muscles though," Hector said, rubbing his arms. "I mean…Rob is huge."

"He's only _tall_ though," Alex said, flexing his arms. "Doesn't have any bulk."

"Yeah," said Jamal, doing a karate punch. "Rob doesn't work out at all. Just writes all the time."

"He got into surfing in Australia," Hector said. "But gave it up when he kept wiping out."

"Yeah," Alex said. "Victor got him into track for a while, but Rob was better at getting _Victor_ into writing."

"Well writing is what Rob _does_," Gaby said.

"I guess that's why Lenni told me to bring the computer," Hector said. "She said Rob would need it…but I can still come over to practice typing."

"Rob _will_ be glad to finally have a computer," Jamal told them. "He was always hanging out in the computer room since he didn't have one at home."

"Yeah," said Tina. "And we called him the guy from the computer room, since we didn't know his name. It was Ghostwriter that finally found out what it was."

"He did?" Hector asked.

"Yeah," Jamal laughed. "Ghostwriter writes _Goodbye Jamal_ to me as I'm leaving the computer room. Then Rob walks in and says, 'Goodbye Jamal?'"

"Woah!" Hector said. "You mean the first time he saw Ghostwriter, he didn't even know you guys?"

"Not by name," Alex sighed. "We even had him on the suspect list for a case…and I'd already yelled at him, trying to get him to confess."

"Which only ticked him off," Gaby pointed out.

"Oh man," said Hector. "He must have freaked out."

"He was more…frozen on the spot," Jamal said. "I was the one freaking out…as now one of our suspects can suddenly see Ghostwriter. Then Ghostwriter writes to him saying '_Hello, Rob_.' That's how I found out what his name was."

"Crazy," said Hector. "So then…how did Ghostwriter find out his name?"

"Rob told us about that later," Alex said. "When we _finally_ solved the case, Ghostwriter convinced him to hang out with us."

* * *

It was October, 1992. Rob sighed as he looked at the bulletin board, where Ghostwriter had written a message to him.

_Take a chance on friends_.

Rob turned around and saw Alex, Jamal, and Lenni at the end of the hallway, laughing together. He then gave a sigh and walked back over to them.

"Hey!" Lenni said brightly. "You change your mind?"

"Well…maybe I can come over for a minute," Rob shrugged.

"Great," Alex said. "Let's get our stuff."

Rob nodded and went to his locker, getting his bag and skateboard. Jamal walked by and slapped him on the back, so he went with him to join Alex and Lenni.

"You gonna ride that thing?" Alex asked.

"Depends," Rob said. "How far away do you live…and is it downhill?"

"Um…it's not far…and it's uphill," Lenni said.

"I'll carry it then," Rob said.

Alex brought everyone to the bodega and introduced Rob to his father.

"Where's Gaby?" Alex asked.

"She and Tina just left to work on a project," his father said.

"Oh man," Alex said. "I wanted them to meet Rob."

"Guess it'll have to be later," Jamal said.

"That's okay," Rob said.

"And more snacks for us," Alex said.

They went to Alex and Gaby's room, where Mrs. Fernandez had corn chips and dip for them. Rob looked around, noticing the map on the wall.

"What's with the pins?"

"Those are all my pen-pals," Alex said, frowning as he grabbed a pin. "Although I need to remove _this_ one. She told all my secrets to that worm, _Calvin_."

"Is that what happened?" Rob asked.

"Yeah," Lenni frowned. "Katherine is Calvin's cousin…and got Alex to write about private stuff."

"What a sneak," Rob said. "No wonder you wanted dirt on the guy."

"And you got us some great stuff," Lenni laughed. "You're just like Harriett the Spy."

"Hey," Rob said. "That's a great book."

"Ha!" Lenni said. "I _knew_ you must have read it."

"Did a book report on it last year," Rob shrugged. "I liked the guy with purple socks that never talks to anybody until the end."

"You _would_," she said. "I just finished it. Got it for my birthday last week."

"Cool," Rob said.

"Man," said Jamal. "Too bad we didn't know you sooner. We had a great party."

"Yeah," Rob said. "But I was having a really rough time last week for some reason."

"Oh right," Alex said sheepishly. "Guess you didn't like random people yelling at you at lunch."

"I was a bit more ticked about people reading my stuff without permission," Rob said, peering at him.

"Sorry," Jamal said. "But you _did_ drop it."

"I was referring to Ghostwriter," Rob said.

"Ghostwriter?" Lenni asked.

"Yeah," Rob said. "When I asked Ghostwriter how he knew my name, he said he read my poems."

"Wow," Lenni said. "You write poems too."

"Yes," Rob said. "And I like to keep them _private_. I mean, snoopy guys in the cafeteria are one thing, but an invisible ghost going through my poetry? What's up with that?"

"Well it must have been _good_," Lenni said. "Ghostwriter liked it so much, he let you see him."

"His story looked pretty interesting too," said Jamal. "You ever finish that?"

"Finished it yesterday," Rob said. "Eighteen pages long."

"Eighteen pages?" Alex asked. "No _wonder_ you use the computer room."

"You think I want to write all that by _hand_?" Rob laughed.

"So can we read it?" Jamal asked.

Rob gave him a look as Alex sighed.

"Oh, come on," Alex said. "The confession part was so good, I thought it was real."

"Well aware of _that_," Rob said, crossing his arms.

Alex and Jamal both gave him pleading looks. Rob glanced over at Lenni, who was giggling at the two of them. He then grinned and took a pad of paper out of his bag. He then dangled it up in the air as Alex and Jamal looked up at it. But he grinned and passed it to Lenni.

"What?" Jamal asked.

"Hey!" Alex protested.

"Oh wow," Lenni said, looking at the story. "You mean it?"

"Sure," he said. "And if these two goons want to read it _next,_ they'd best be polite to the lady."

Lenni laughed as Alex and Jamal groaned. Rob checked his watch and got up to leave.

"Lemme know what you think of it," he said to Lenni. "Happy Birthday."

* * *

Lenni sighed as she snuggled up to Rob in her father's bed. He was still panting a bit with his eyes closed and she ran her hand through his hair. She then noticed he still had his watch on.

"What time is it?"

Rob flipped his wrist around and glanced at the watch.

"Five til' three."

Lenni gasped.

"Rob! The band will be here any minute with the instruments."

Rob gasped and fell out of the bed as Lenni ran to the bathroom.

"Get your pants on!" she called to him.

Rob sat up on the floor and rubbed his head.

"Never thought I'd hear Lenni say _that_!"

Rob pulled on his boxers and army pants, but then there was a knock on the door. He ran over to open it and let in the band, who brought in the instruments.

"Should we just put them where Max had them before?" a man asked.

"Sure," Rob said. "All the same to me."

They brought in the instruments as Alex, Jamal, and Hector came in, carrying the computer. Rob had them set it up on the desk and Alex gave him a grin.

"So uh…where's your shirt?"

"Never mind that," Jamal said. "Where's _Lenni_?"

"Guess she's in the shower," Hector shrugged. "Water's running."

"Interesting," Alex said, rubbing his chin. "What you two been doing up here?"

Rob took a deep breath.

"Get out of my house."

The others laughed but Rob pointed to the door. The band members were already leaving so Alex, Jamal and Hector joined them.

"Guess no more rallies here," Jamal said. "They want to be alone."

"Will you get out of here!?" Rob yelled.

The three of them finally left and Rob slammed the door, bolting it. He then took a deep breath as Lenni came out, wrapped in a bathrobe.

"Oh," she said. "We got the computer back too."

"Yeah," Rob frowned. "Jamal and Alex were helping Hector bring it up here."

"Oh…yeah," Lenni blushed.

Rob sighed as he walked over to the computer, hooking it up. Lenni came up behind him, hugging his waist.

"It's all yours."

Rob turned to look at her.

"What?"

"It's yours," Lenni said. "You need it more than I do…for your books."

"But…don't you use it?"

"I have a music program," she shrugged. "But it keeps crashing. I won't need it until something better comes out."

Rob stared at her as she shrugged.

"Happy Birthday."

Rob stared at her for a minute. He then gave a smile and caught her up in his arms, making her squeal as he carried her over to the sofa.


	5. Chapter 5

LENNI'S CHOICE – PART ONE

It was a Friday in March of 1997. Lenni sighed and rolled over to rub Rob's back. Rob groaned and looked at his watch.

"Better get ready for school."

Lenni rolled over to get up but Rob pulled her back into bed.

"You said to get ready for school."

"I know. This _is_ getting ready for school."

"Rob!"

Rob just grinned and pulled her closer. It was a while before Lenni was able to get away from him so she could shower. As she brushed her teeth, she saw her pills and groaned.

"Shoot," she said, spitting out the toothpaste. "Forgot to take one again."

As Lenni was getting ready, Rob was getting some bagels out for breakfast. He was already eating one when she came out, but she moaned when she smelled the food.

"What?" he asked. "You don't like cream cheese?"

"Oh no," Lenni said. "I was already feeling…queasy. Oooh."

Lenni ran back to the bathroom and Rob jumped up in alarm. He ran after her and saw her leaning over the toilet.

"I uh…don't think you should go today," he said, rubbing her back.

"I'm fine," she said, going to the sink. "I just…felt weird all of a sudden."

"Are you sure?"

Lenni rinsed her mouth and nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "See? I'm all fine now."

Rob peered at her.

"You are _not_ fine," he said. "The _real_ Lenni would want an _excuse_ to skip out on school."

"Oh ha ha."

"I'm serious," he said. "You just threw up and need to stay home."

"I have a test today though," she said. "And I feel perfectly fine."

Rob made a face and Lenni sighed.

"Look," she said. "If I start feeling sick again, I promise to go to the nurse."

Rob was still making a face but he nodded.

"I suppose," he said. "But only because you have a test."

Lenni ate her own bagel as Rob gathered their books together. They locked the loft before heading to Mead High School, where they went off to their classes. Lenni felt fine most of the morning, but started feeling queasy again during her test.

"What is up with this?" she wondered. "I haven't even had lunch yet."

Lenni was able to answer the last few of the math problems and turned in the test.

"Can I go to the nurse?" she asked. "I don't…feel too good."

"You don't look too good," her math teacher said. "Go right ahead."

Lenni nodded and went to see the nurse. She told her about being sick that morning and how she was starting to feel queasy again. The nurse looked at her file and raised her eyebrows.

"It says here…you're married?"

"Um…yeah," she said. "To Rob Baker."

"When was your last period?"

"Um…well…I forget," Lenni said. "Sometime…last month?"

The nurse nodded and got something from the cabinet and handed it to her.

"A pregnancy test?" she asked.

"You're married," the nurse said. "And it's possible you have morning sickness."

"But…but I'm on the pill…"

"Are you taking it every day?"

Lenni bit her lip.

"I might have…forgot…a few times…"

The nurse gave a sigh.

"Lenni. The pill is not 100% effective even if you _do_ take it every day. It's possible that you got pregnant anyway."

Lenni took a deep breath and looked at the test. But the nurse patted her shoulder.

"Lenni, it's possible you just have a stomach bug," she said. "But you need to take the test to rule out pregnancy."

Lenni groaned and went into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she was groaning even more as she came back and showed the test to the nurse. The nurse nodded and looked at Lenni.

"Do you know what class your husband has right now?"

"Oh please don't call him in here!" Lenni cried.

"Lenni," the nurse said. "Rob is down as your guardian on your record. He has to be informed about this."

"But couldn't I tell him later? I need to think."

The nurse sighed and made a note on the file before nodding.

"All right," she said. "Do you want to go back to class?"

"I'd rather go home," Lenni whimpered.

The nurse gave her permission and Lenni rushed home. When school let out, Alex saw Rob was looking around for her.

"What's going on?" Alex asked.

"I'm wondering if Lenni went home early," Rob said. "She wasn't feeling well this morning."

"Oh," Alex said. "Did you ask the nurse?"

"Oh yeah," Rob said. "Good idea."

Alex walked with Rob to the nurse's office, where the nurse raised her eyebrows.

"Are you looking for Lenni?" she asked.

"Yeah," Rob said. "Did she see you today? She wasn't well this morning."

"She did come in, yes," the nurse said. "And went home right afterwards."

"Is she okay?"

"She needs to talk to you."

Rob raised his eyebrows.

"She…does?"

"Go home Rob," the nurse said. "And talk to your wife."

Rob swallowed hard before he turned and bolted. Alex stumbled out of the way.

"Woah," he said. "Never seen him run so fast."

Rob ran all the way to the loft and burst in, but didn't see Lenni.

"Lenni?!" he called. "You here?"

There was no answer so he went to the bedroom. Lenni was lying on the bed, staring out the window. Rob swallowed as he dropped his bag and went over to her.

"Are you okay?"

Lenni didn't say anything but pulled herself into a tighter ball. Rob leaned over the bed, putting his hand on her arm.

"Lenni…talk to me," he said.

Lenni whimpered and Rob took a deep breath.

"Are you pregnant?"

Lenni squeezed her eyes shut and managed to nod. Rob let out his breath as he leaned over her, wrapping one arm around her and kissing her cheek. Lenni moaned as she looked back out the window.

"I'm sorry."

Rob looked at her.

"_You're_ sorry?" he asked. "You think _I_ didn't do anything?"

"But…it's my fault," Lenni said softly. "I kept forgetting to take my pills."

Rob sighed as he held her close.

"It's my fault too though," he said. "I wouldn't use the condoms."

Lenni sighed and rolled back to face him, letting him take her in his arms. Rob kissed her forehead tenderly, stroking her face with his fingers.

"It's going to be okay," he said.

"Yeah but…I'm so scared."

"I know," Rob sighed. "I am too."

Lenni made a face.

"Of what?" she asked. "You're not the one who's pregnant."

"Lenni," Rob said. "I'm still the one responsible."

"It was me just as much," Lenni sighed. "But…you're right. It'll be okay. I'll just…get it taken care of."

Rob stared at her.

"What do you mean?"

Lenni looked back at him.

"What do you think I mean?"

"Well…you can't mean…an abortion."

"Why not?"

Rob stared at her and she stared right back.

"You're serious?" he asked.

"_You're_ serious?" she asked him.

"Lenni…you can't!" he said.

"Why not?" she asked. "It'll be like it never happened."

"It's not like it never happened," Rob said. "It's…it's _murder_."

Lenni gasped as she jumped off the bed.

"I can't believe you said that!"

"I can't believe you're actually considering this!"

"Why wouldn't I consider it? I'm seventeen and still in high school!"

"So you would just…kill your own kid? _Our_ kid?"

Lenni shook her head in disbelief.

"Who _are_ you? Don't you love me anymore?"

"Of course I love you!" Rob cried. "That's why I don't want you to do this!"

"Well it's not your decision now, is it!?"

With that, Lenni stormed out of the room. Rob jumped off the bed to go after her, but she left the loft and slammed the door. Rob ran to the door, opening it before running to the top of the stairs. But Lenni was already sprinting away down the sidewalk.

"LENNI!"

But Lenni had already turned the corner and was out of sight.


	6. Chapter 6

LENNI'S CHOICE – PART TWO

Down in the bodega, Alex was running the register and Gaby was sweeping when they saw Lenni run past the store.

"Where's she going?" Gaby asked.

"Uh oh," Alex said.

Alex went to the door and looked down the street, although Lenni was already gone. He then looked up the stairs, just as Rob turned and went back inside, slamming the door behind him. Alex moaned as he went back inside.

"What's going on?" Gaby asked.

"I uh…think I have a guess," Alex said. "But I'm not exactly sure."

"What?" asked Gaby.

"The facts are…Lenni was sick this morning…and also went to the nurse at school," Alex said. "The nurse told Rob that she went home after that…and he needs to talk to her."

Gaby raised her eyebrows.

"You think she's _pregnant_?"

"She very well could be," Alex said. "They've been married a few months now."

"But…she was on the pill," Gaby said.

"Doesn't always work," Alex said. "But then…it could be something else."

Gaby thought for a minute and shook her head.

"No. I think you're right. Lenni wouldn't be running like that if she was sick. Rob would put her in bed."

"Yeah," Alex said. "And Rob looked _really_ mad. He wouldn't be angry if she was sick."

"But…why is he mad?" Gaby frowned. "_He's_ the one who did it…unless…"

"Don't be ridiculous," Alex said. "Have you seen them lately? They're all over each other. No way either one of them is cheating."

"But what's Rob all mad about then?"

"That's what we got to find out," Alex said. "You go and try to find Lenni. She might have gone to Jamal's or somewhere."

"What're you going to do?"

"I have to mind the store," Alex said. "But I'll be watching to see if Rob comes down."

Gaby nodded and ran down the street. She went to Jamal's house and he answered the door, but said Lenni wasn't there.

"She did come by though," Jamal said. "She was awfully upset…and wanted to talk to Grandma. But she's not here."

"Do you know where she went?"

"She was going to see if Tina was home," Jamal said. "But…what's going on? Why's she so upset?"

Gaby told Jamal what Alex had said and Jamal groaned.

"Oh man," he said. "Is that what it is?"

"And Rob is real mad about something," Gaby said. "Alex is keeping an eye on his house…to see if he comes out."

"I'll go over there too," Jamal said. "You'd better catch up to Lenni at Tina's…and make sure our guess is right."

Gaby nodded and ran to Tina's. As she hoped, Lenni was there, sipping Vietnamese tea as Tina sat with her.

"Are you okay, Lenni?" Gaby asked. "You were running like a maniac."

"Yeah well…I'm _married_ to a maniac," Lenni frowned.

"Uh…oh," Gaby said.

"Yeah," Tina said. "They had a fight."

"About what?" Gaby asked.

Lenni took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I'm pregnant, okay?"

Gaby nodded as Tina shook her head.

"It'll be okay, Lenni."

"It's _not_ okay," Lenni said. "It _would_ be if Rob would just be reasonable but he's _not_."

"What's she talking about?" Gaby asked.

Lenni groaned and sipped her tea as Tina sighed.

"Lenni wants to have an abortion," she said. "But Rob doesn't agree."

"He called me a murderer!" Lenni spat.

Gaby gasped as Tina shook her head.

"He doesn't mean that," Tina said. "It's just…some people see it that way. That's why it's such a hot topic."

"Well it's not just a _topic_," Lenni said. "It's _real_. I'm pregnant…and I don't _want_ to be. And it's perfectly legal to have an abortion in New York."

"Just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's right," Gaby said.

"Who's side are you on?" Lenni frowned.

"I'm just stating a fact," Gaby said. "It isn't right to cut someone off in traffic…but it's not illegal."

"And a lot of people don't think abortion is right," Tina said.

"You too?" Lenni asked.

"I'm also stating a fact," Tina said patiently. "The monks at the Buddhist temple teach that all life is sacred, including the unborn."

"Um…Rob isn't Buddhist," Lenni said.

"But he still believes the same thing," Gaby told her. "A lot of people at my church think that way too."

"I don't care what other people think," Lenni said. "This is about me and what I do with my own body."

Gaby and Tina sighed as they looked at each other. Lenni sipped her tea as the door opened and Tina's brother came in.

"Oh," he said. "Hi Lenni."

"Tuan?" Lenni asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," Tuan said.

"He's home for spring break," Tina said.

"I can uh…go if you're discussing girl stuff," Tuan said.

"No no," Lenni said, narrowing her eyes. "I could use a guy's opinion on this."

* * *

Back at the bodega, Jamal was standing with Alex at the register and looking at his watch. Hector finally came in and Alex made a face.

"Where's Victor?" he asked. "Isn't he coming?"

"Well…I told him what you told me on the phone," Hector said, speaking very quickly. "He said that if Rob and Lenni are fighting and she run out on him, that Rob's probably hungry because he don't know how to cook, so he went to get Chinese takeout. He also said Rob's more likely to let us in if we have food."

Alex looked at Jamal, who nodded.

"Not a bad idea," Jamal said.

"Yeah," Alex said. "That's one of the reasons Rob always hung out at her place."

"Is it?" Jamal asked. "I always thought it was because we would rally there all the time…and he lived on the tenth floor of an apartment building."

"With no elevator," Alex said, nodding. "Yeah. That too."

"But that wasn't the real reason," Hector said.

They both looked at Hector, who shrugged.

"It came up in one of our letters once," he said.

* * *

It was May, 1993. The team had just surprised Gaby with a visit from the real Galaxy Girl in the bodega. Gaby had taken her special guest to her room and Alex and Tina had gone with her. Jamal had gone to visit Jasmine, so Rob had gone upstairs with Lenni. Lenni started making some cookies for her father's band rehearsal and was soon scolding him for licking the batter.

"Rob!" she said, slapping his hands. "You'll get your nasty germs in it!"

"Gimme some food then," he said, grinning. "I'm hungry."

"Oh for…is that why you always follow me home like a lost puppy?"

Rob laughed as Lenni tossed him an apple.

"No," he said, biting into it. "Food is just a side benefit."

"Then why are you always up here?"

Rob gave a shrug.

"Because I don't like you being up here by yourself."

Lenni raised an eyebrow, as she hadn't been expecting this answer.

"Really?"

"Yeah," he said. "Gaby's got Alex…and is learning karate. Tina's got a brother…and _also_ has Alex. But who's looking after _you_ when your dad is gone all the time?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Fernandez are _right_ downstairs," Lenni said, going back to her cooking.

"And are busy with two kids and a store," Rob said.

"And you think I can't handle being by myself?" she said, giving him a look.

Rob gave a shrug.

"So I'm a chauvinist pig who thinks it's safer for a girl to have a guy around," he said. "But then, you already knew that."

"Right," she said. "I guess that's why you volunteered to go with me when Momo called about the garden."

"Well yeah," he said. "But I was more thinking of how a _woman_ turned out to be a stunt double…and tied me up in her dressing room."

"She also knocked you out," Lenni grinned.

"That's for sure," he said, rubbing his head. "I still got a lump the size of a tennis ball."

Lenni laughed as she mixed the batter for the cookies.

"Thanks though," she said. "For looking after me."

"You're welcome," Rob grinned. "Can I have a cookie when those are done?"

* * *

Alex and Jamal were laughing at Hector's story when Victor arrived, carrying a pizza and a bag of Chinese food. Alex grabbed cups and a couple bottles of soda and they all went up to the loft together, where Jamal knocked on the door.

"Rob?" Jamal called. "It's us."

There was no answer and Alex sighed.

"We know you're in there, Rob."

"And we brought food," Hector said brightly.

The door opened a crack and Rob peeked out.

"What kind of food?"


	7. Chapter 7

LENNI'S CHOICE: PART THREE

Jamal, Alex, Victor, and Hector stood outside of the loft with a pizza and a bag of Chinese food.

"Rob?" Jamal called. "It's us."

There was no answer and Alex sighed.

"We know you're in there, Rob."

"And we brought food," Hector said brightly.

The door opened a crack and Rob peeked out.

"What kind of food?"

"The _best_ kind," Victor grinned. "Eat with us, Bro."

Rob sighed and opened the door. Victor spread out the food and Rob immediately grabbed an egg roll and a slice of pizza. He then peered over at Alex.

"Don't think I don't know why you're here," he frowned.

"Eat first," Alex said. "You'll feel better."

Rob sighed and bit into the egg roll. The others sat around the counter and ate with him, but let him have most of the pizza. When it was finally gone, Jamal gave him a pat on the back.

"You okay?"

Rob shook his head and gave a deep sigh.

Jamal looked at Alex, who took a deep breath.

"Rob," he said. "Is Lenni…pregnant?"

Rob closed his eyes and nodded as the others looked at each other.

"You gonna be all right, man?" Victor asked.

"I dunno," Rob sighed. "She said she…wants to have an abortion."

Victor raised his eyebrows and looked at Alex, who let out his breath.

"And you don't…want her to?"

"Well no," Rob sighed. "And we had a big fight about it. That's why she…ran off."

Alex looked at Jamal, who nodded.

"She's fine," he said. "She came to my house to see Grandma…but she wasn't there…so she said she was going to Tina's."

"And I sent Gaby there too," Alex said.

Rob nodded.

"Thanks," he said. "She needs…her friends. Not like _I'm_ of any help."

"She needs you too," Victor said. "She just doesn't know it."

Rob shook his head.

"That's what I don't understand."

"What is?" Jamal asked.

"Why Lenni thinks…I don't love her," he said. "I mean…I fly all the way back from Australia…and marry her so she can come home. I'm even joining the military so we can live here…but she's _still_ not convinced."

The other guys looked at each other, not sure of what to say. Hector finally spoke up.

"But…does she know why?"

Rob looked at him.

"Why…what?"

"Why you did all those things," Hector said. "I mean…it just sounds like…you're playing the hero to rescue the girl. But you didn't say anything about _why_ you're saving her in the first place."

Rob blinked.

"I guess…I never thought about it," he said. "I just…know that I do."

"Hector's got a point though," Jamal said. "If you don't know why you love her, how can you expect _her_ to know?"

Rob bit his lip as Victor peered at him.

"So why her, Rob?" he asked. "Why'd you pick Lenni Frazier to be your girl?"

Rob gave a shrug.

"I'm…comfortable with her," he said. "When I first moved here…I wasn't even going to bother making friends. But she reached out to me…and got me on the team."

"Team?" Victor asked.

"Yeah," Rob said. "They're the second family I told you about. These guys…Gaby and Tina…and Lenni."

"Cool," Victor said. "You guys tight?"

"Real tight," Jamal said. "And…you're right. It was Lenni that finally got you to open up."

"What else?" Alex asked.

"Well…she always stuck up for me," Rob said. "Even when I was being an idiot."

"What do you mean?" Hector asked.

"Like…when we were staking out the lobby at the Steadmore," Rob said. "I kept spouting off and making people mad before we could get any information. But Lenni said it wasn't _my_ fault, as we hadn't planned out our questions."

"Oh yeah," said Alex. "And when I was ready to give you a bloody nose for accusing Gaby of stealing Cutsie, she's the one that made me back off."

"Even though I totally deserved it," Rob sighed.

Alex patted Rob on the back as Jamal nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "And when you told the team you didn't want help looking for Double-T, Lenni was the one who stood up for you after you left."

Rob raised an eyebrow.

"She did?"

"Yeah," Alex said. "She uh…said you had a point. Lisa didn't know us…and wouldn't understand how the team works."

"And she was super worried when you were trapped in the tunnel," Jamal said.

"And mad too," Alex said. "Said you were an idiot for going down there."

"Well I was," Rob said. "We would've died if you guys hadn't found us."

The others nodded as Victor scratched his head.

"This musta all been stuff from before," he said.

"It is," Rob shrugged. "But see…Lenni also stood up for me when I was dumb enough to look for you at the hideout."

"Seriously?" Victor asked. "The Thunderheads were ready to kill you, Bro!"

"I know," Rob said, running his hand through his hair. "But she said it was a good thing that I did that."

* * *

It was February, 1993. Rob had returned to Lenni's loft after finding Victor and asked her to call a rally. She did so as Rob sat down, holding his stomach.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Rob said sheepishly.

The rest of the team came over and Rob shared his idea about Ghostwriter looking for Victor's rap. They were then able to get enough clues to find out Tony Boyd was the one behind the graffiti at school. Rob then came up with a plan to reveal that Tony had Victor's notebook and a can of spray paint in his gym bag in front of Mr. Ward. Then the phone rang, as Mr. Fernandez wanted Alex and Gaby to come home. The rest of the team left, but Rob stayed behind.

"My folks won't be home yet," he said.

"That's fine," Lenni said. "I'm going to start making dinner for my dad, so stay over there."

Rob laughed and took out his notepad, planning out exactly what he wanted to ask Tony the next day. He then frowned as his sleeve got caught on a loose nail in the chair.

"Hey now," he said, tugging his arm. "Gimme my shirt."

"Uh oh," Lenni said, coming over. "Sorry about that. That thing caught my dad's shirt yesterday and tore a big hole in it."

Rob frowned and tugged at his sleeve but Lenni shook her head.

"Just take it off," she said. "You don't want to rip it."

"I guess," Rob said.

Rob took off the yellow flannel shirt, glad he had a t-shirt on under it. Lenni was then able to free it from the nail and looked at Rob.

"What happened to your arms?"

Rob looked down and saw he had large bruises up and down both arms. He jumped up, grabbing his shirt from Lenni and putting it back on.

"Rob!"

"It's nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing to me! What happened?"

Rob gave a sigh.

"I got caught by the Thunderheads, okay?"

Lenni stared at him as he rubbed his arms.

"I was looking for Victor," he said. "Ghostwriter…told me where the hideout was."

"You went to their hideout!?" Lenni gasped.

"I know, all right?" Rob frowned. "I know it was stupid. But Victor was trying to go back to the gang…and I thought he'd be there."

Lenni swallowed hard.

"But the Thunderheads found you?"

Rob nodded and rubbed his arms again.

"When was this?" she asked.

"About an hour ago," he mumbled.

Lenni ran and got an ice pack. She then made Rob sit down and put it on his arm.

"I'm fine," he said. "Really…"

"I'm surprised you're not _worse_," she said. "How'd you get out of there?"

"Victor showed up," Rob sighed. "He got them off me…and reminded Miguel of…something. I guess Miguel owed him for something from before…so they had to let me go."

Rob closed his eyes as Lenni thought about this.

"But…why did Victor show up?" she asked. "I thought he quit the gang."

"He did," Rob said. "But I was right. He was trying to go back to them. He just changed his mind since they were…beating me up."

Lenni sighed and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Then you did the right thing."

Rob looked at her with raised eyebrows and she shook her head.

"It was a _stupid_ thing," she said. "But if Victor hadn't seen them beating you up, he wouldn't have seen how awful they are…and he wouldn't have changed his mind about going back."

Rob nodded but Lenni gave out an exasperated sigh.

"But _please_ Rob," she said. "Will you _please_ stop doing such stupid stuff in order to find your friends?"

Rob gave a grin.

"Maybe," he said. "But I keep making friends with people that disappear."

* * *

Victor laughed at the story as Jamal shook his head.

"Yeah," he said. "You had to fess up to me and Alex when we saw those bruises in gym class."

"But we just called you an idiot," Alex said.

"He _was_ an idiot," Victor said. "But…Lenni was right. Miguel showed his true colors…beating him up like that."

"You know whatever happened to him?" Rob asked.

"Unfortunately," Victor sighed. "Went to his funeral last year. Thunderheads tried to take on MS-13 out on Long Island."

"No way," Alex said, shaking his head. "Those goons are from El Salvador…and part of the reason my family left. Thunderheads don't have _anything_ on them."

"Well Miguel learned that the hard way," Victor sighed, shaking his head. "And it could have been me."

Rob bit his lip as Victor put his hand on his shoulder.

"And Lenni knew that," he said.

Rob nodded as a knock came to the door.

"Who is it?" he called.

"It's Gaby!"

Alex got up and let Gaby in. She bit her lip and nervously looked at Rob.

"I need to get some of…Lenni's things," she said. "She's uh…not coming back tonight."

Rob let out his breath.

"I'll go get them," he said heavily.

Rob went back to the bedroom as Alex brought Gaby over to the others. Hector offered her the last egg roll and she took it.

"How's Lenni doing?" Jamal asked.

"She's…still pretty upset," Gaby said, nibbling at the egg roll. "Was uh…talking to Tuan when I left."

"Tuan?" asked Alex. "What's he doing here?"

"He's home for spring break," Gaby said. "Lenni wanted a guy's opinion on the whole thing. How about Rob?"

"He's pretty shaken up," Alex said. "But we'll look after him. Just take care of Lenni."

"I will," Gaby said.

Rob came back in and handed Gaby a travel bag.

"Sorry," she said, taking it.

"S'okay," he said quietly.

"I'll walk you over there," Victor said, getting up.

Gaby smiled shyly and Victor took the bag from her. They left and Rob closed the door before leaning his head on it.

"Did Gaby say Tuan was home?"

Alex winced and Jamal gave a sigh as Hector shrugged.

"Well yeah," he said. "Guess he's on spring break."

Rob shook his head as Jamal went over to him.

"Rob…it's not as bad as you think," he said. "They broke up ages ago."

"Jamal…she hates me," Rob said. "And he's right there…comforting her…and he'll let her do what she wants."

Rob closed his eyes, hot tears running down his face. Jamal put a hand on his shoulder as Alex and Hector looked at each other.

"I've lost her," Rob said. "She's never coming back."


	8. Chapter 8

LENNI'S CHOICE – PART FOUR

At Tina's house, Gaby came in with Victor and saw Lenni was growling as she sat at the table. Tuan was shaking his head and Tina looked over at them.

"Hi Victor," she said.

"Hey," Victor said. "How things going on this side?"

"I am surrounded by pigs," Lenni frowned.

"Say what you will," Tuan told her.

"Now what?" Gaby sighed.

"Tuan thinks I should do whatever Rob wants me to," Lenni said, rolling her eyes. "He's as bad as Rob is."

"I only say that Rob is your husband and you need to show him respect," Tuan told her.

"Respect?" Lenni frowned. "He called me a baby-killer!"

"I doubt he said _that_," Victor said.

"Well it's what he _meant_," Lenni sneered. "I'm not showing respect to a guy like that."

"You were the one who asked my opinion," Tuan said, getting up. "Now I suggest you find a place to stay tonight because it will _not_ be here."

"But…"

"No buts," he said. "I will show respect to your husband whether you do or not…and I doubt he wants you sleeping in the same house as an old boyfriend."

Lenni gaped at him and looked at Tina, who shook her head.

"Sorry," she said. "But my parents are gone…and left Tuan in charge."

"Ugh!" Lenni said. "Why do _men_ always control everything?"

"Lenni," Gaby said. "Just…try to calm down. We can find another place for you to stay."

"Where?" Lenni asked, on the verge of tears. "My whole family is gone! Everyone is gone!"

Lenni started to cry and Gaby ran to her, putting her arms around her. Tina looked at Victor, who shrugged.

"She ain't got any family at all?"

"No," Tina said. "That's the whole reason she had to marry Rob. She would be stuck in foster care if she didn't…and it'd take too long for her to be adopted…"

Tina said this last word quite slowly as she turned to Lenni.

"What about Sally?" Tina asked.

Lenni sniffed and looked up.

"Sally?"

"Hey yeah," Gaby said. "You said Sally would have adopted you…but there was a problem since she's British."

"But you _do_ need to talk to her," Tina said. "She's the closest thing to a mom that you have….and she'll understand a _lot_ better than we can."

Lenni sniffed and nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "I guess…I can stay with her tonight."

"I'll go call her," Gaby said.

* * *

Back at the loft, Rob had his face buried in his hands. Alex was quietly clearing the kitchen as Jamal rubbed Rob's back. Hector had gone over to the computer and was telling Ghostwriter what was going on.

"Oh," Hector said. "Weird."

"What is?" Alex asked.

"Well…Ghostwriter said…he was going to congratulate Lenni for the new baby. But then he noticed how upset she was…so he didn't write to her. He wants to know why you guys are sad if a baby's coming."

Rob looked up and turned around.

"How'd he know she was pregnant though?"

Hector typed in the question and raised his eyebrows.

"Wow," Hector said. "He says…he feels the baby's heart."

"Hey yeah," Jamal said. "He can read our emotions…and that's how he knows where we are."

"That was even Rob's question when he joined the team," Alex said, wiping a glass.

"And…he can sense the baby?" Rob asked, rather stunned.

"Uh huh," Hector said.

Rob blinked hard as Jamal cocked his head.

"Can the baby…see him?"

"Does it even have _eyes_ yet?" Rob wondered.

Hector smiled and typed the question.

"Ghostwriter can't see the baby," Hector said. "And he can't show himself to a baby that can't read yet."

Rob swallowed and shook his head.

"And it may not live that long."

"Rob," Alex said.

"The baby is alive," Rob sighed. "And Lenni…"

"Don't…think about that right now," Jamal said.

Rob hid his face again as Hector typed into the computer again. He then raised his eyebrows.

"Huh?"

"What?" Alex asked him.

"Well…I asked Ghostwriter…what we could do to save the baby," Hector said. "And he says…_The best way to love your child, is to love her mother._"

Rob looked up and blinked.

"Love…her mother?"

"Yeah," Jamal said. "If you want Lenni to change her mind, you have to show Lenni how much you love her."

"But…how can I do that?" Rob asked. "She won't even come home."

"By doing what we did when the whole team was fighting," Jamal said.

"You mean…write to her?"

"Hey yeah," Alex said. "And I can go take it to her when I pick up Gaby."

Rob swallowed hard and went over to the computer, where Hector gave him the seat. Rob took a deep breath.

"Better start with an apology," he said, typing.

_My Precious Lenni,_

_I am so sorry I yelled at you._

Rob paused after that as the others read it.

"Why were you yelling?" Hector asked.

"I just…panicked," Rob said, shaking his head. "I mean…knowing she was pregnant was one thing. But I couldn't take it…when she said she wanted an abortion."

"So tell her that," Jamal said.

Rob nodded and typed again.

_When you told me you wanted an abortion, I panicked and said a lot of things I shouldn't have. Please forgive me._

Rob sighed and ran his hand through his hair. There was a knock on the door and he looked around.

"Who is it?"

"Victor!"

Jamal went and let Victor in, explaining that Rob was trying to write a letter to Lenni.

"Should be good," Victor said. "He's a pro at writing."

"Maybe," Rob said. "But I never had my kid _and_ my marriage at stake."

"Your marriage?" Victor asked. "You think she's leaving you?"

"She's at Tina's, isn't she?" Rob asked, turning around. "And that boyfriend of hers is there."

"Well you owe him, Bro," Victor said. "He kicked her out."

"What?!"

Rob sprang out of his chair and Victor held up his hands.

"Relax," he said. "He only said Lenni had to stay somewhere else. He wasn't gonna have another guy's wife under his roof for the night. And she got hacked off with him too."

Rob stared at Victor as Alex nodded.

"You know," Alex said. "I have a lot more respect for Tuan now."

"Me too," Jamal said. "Do you know where Lenni went then?"

"They said something about…Sally?" Victor said.

"Oh yeah," Hector said. "Sally was Lenni's dad's girlfriend…and might have been her mom if they got married."

Rob let out his breath and nodded.

"I feel a _lot_ better now," he said.

"Good," Jamal said. "Sally will _also_ make sure Lenni reads your note before she decides anything."

"Better get to work on it then," Rob said, sitting at the computer again. "But…what else should I say?"

"Well…what about all that stuff we were talking about?" Victor asked. "Those things she did…that made you fall for her?"

"Yeah," Hector said. "How can Lenni know that you love her…if _you_ didn't even know why?"

Rob nodded and typed quickly.

_I'm madly in love with you, Lenni. You were the one who reached out to the new kid in the computer room and brought him into the team. You were the one who stood up for him, even when he was an impulsive idiot getting himself into yet another jam._

"Why you using _he_?" Hector asked. "Aren't you talking about yourself?"

"Not really," Rob said. "I fell in love with her a long time ago…and I was a different person then. A fourteen-year-old kid wearing a bandanna and riding a skateboard. And she was the cute girl that wrote songs…and wore those crazy hats."

"Oh," Hector said. "But…why aren't you writing all of that?"

"No need," Jamal said. "The minute she reads it, she'll immediately remember Rob as a kid."

"And all the dumb stuff he used to do," Alex said.

Rob smiled at this and kept typing.

_You were the one who invited him into your home, even though he ate all your food._

The others laughed and Victor shook his head.

"I thought this was serious."

"It is," Rob said. "But…that part helps ease the tension a bit. And might make her laugh since it's true."

Rob kept typing and then sat back in his chair.

_That boy fell in love with you. For the first time in his life, he had a real friend._

Rob sighed and bit his lip.

"Now's the hard part. How do I convince her…not to hurt our baby?"

The others looked at each other. Rob blinked as a message came on the screen.

_If you love her, you will also trust her to make the right decision._

Rob sighed as the others read the message, although Victor didn't notice it. He only saw that Rob started typing again.

_Lenni, my deep love for you will never change. And because I love you so much, I must now trust you. You are the one going through this and it's for you to decide what you want to do. I will stay next to you, no matter what road you decide to take. I will respect your decision either way._

Rob gave a deep sigh as Alex raised his eyebrows.

"But…you don't want her to do it."

"And she already knows that," Rob said, shaking his head. "Now I have to trust her. And if she still does it…that doesn't change the fact that I love her."

"Yeah," Jamal said. "If she still has an abortion, she may need you even more."

Rob nodded and printed out the letter. He read over it again, giving a nod before signing it.

* * *

The next morning, Sally brought Lenni to work in the community garden, saying it would help her feel better. Lenni had told Sally everything that had happened, why she really wanted an abortion, and also how scared she was. Sally had listened quietly and didn't give an opinion about the abortion topic.

"You don't need a debate right now," she had said to her. "What you need is a good night's sleep. We'll talk tomorrow morning in the garden."

"But…why there?"

"It should help you relax some, with the flowers and fresh air. And you can really clear your head after having such a stressful day."

Lenni did feel much better when she got to the garden. It was full of flowers and vegetables and young children. Although tall buildings loomed on either side, the garden was green and bright and colorful. Sally had Lenni water the flowers as she went to feed the rabbits.

"I'm glad Sally's doing that," Lenni sighed. "That used to be…Rob's job."

But even watering the flowers made her think of Rob, who had loved the garden and was a big part of saving it when poison was found in the ground. She then saw an orange ball of light flying in front of her. She followed it to a plaque that had been placed in the wall.

"What's this?" she wondered.

"Oh that?" Sally asked. "That's where we buried those poor rabbits that died."

"Oh," Lenni said, looking closer at the plaque. "But…they got a whole epitaph?"

"No," Sally laughed. "Rob wrote that poem about the rabbits, remember? I liked it so much, I had them put it where we buried them."

Lenni sighed and nodded.

"Yeah," she said sadly. "He read it…at the youth center. And he was so nervous too."

* * *

It was March, 1993. Rob was fidgeting as people started coming in for the poetry workshop. He gripped the paper in his hands as Lenni patted him on the back.

"You're going to do fine, Rob," Lenni said.

"Yeah but…I still don't like reading my poems out loud," he said. "They're…personal."

"But it's so good," Lenni said. "And people need to hear it."

Rob sighed and looked up. Two Vietnam Veterans had come into the room together, one in a patched army jacket, and the other in a suit and tie.

"Dad?"

The man in the suit came over and Rob jumped up.

"What're…you doing here?"

"This is what you do, isn't it?" his father asked.

"Well…yeah," Rob said nervously.

"Then I'm here to watch you play," his father said. "See if you score a home run."

Rob smiled as his father patted him on the back. He then went back to sit with the other veteran, who gave him a thumbs-up. Rob returned it as Sally came to the stage and introduced him.

"This is Rob Baker, one of our Community Garden Volunteers," she said. "He will be sharing one of his poems with us."

Rob nervously took the stage and gripped his poem in front of him.

"Um…this is titled…_For the Rabbits_."

Lenni sat with the team, proudly watching Rob as he read his poem.

_The sunshine spills through the tall dark buildings,_

_Finding the one spot of green._

_In a cold and harsh city,_

_A garden blooms with flowers and food,_

_Feeding the hungry,_

_And giving us hope._

_A boy plays there with a bundle of fur._

_A tiny velvet nose nibbles his fingers,_

_And beady pink eyes gaze into his._

_And there is peace and trust between them._

_But the boy didn't know of the evil beneath the ground._

_The swirls of bad smells and fainting spells,_

_Dizziness and headaches,_

_He wasn't able to stop the horror,_

_That reached out and killed,_

_His tiny, precious friend._

_And so, the boy steps up towards becoming a man,_

_Fighting his way through a broken system,_

_Standing up to injustice,_

_And swearing to live his life to prevent such a tragedy._

_Never again should the innocent and helpless,_

_Fall victim in a heartless world._

_They deserve to live,_

_And I will do what I can,_

_To make sure that they do._

* * *

Lenni swallowed, her eyes full of tears as she ran her fingers over the poem. She shook her head, as the plaque didn't include Rob's name.

"He didn't sign it," she said.

"You know how Rob is," Sally sighed. "He only allowed us to put it here if he could keep it anonymous. But of course anyone who heard him read it knows it's his."

Lenni nodded as she felt something soft nibble her fingers. She looked down and saw a tiny, white rabbit. Sally gave a sigh and bent down.

"How did you get out?"

"I'll get him," Lenni said.

Lenni picked up the tiny bunny, smiling as it nestled in her hand.

"He trusts me," she sighed. "Just like…the baby does."

She looked at the poem, seeing how Ghostwriter lit up the last lines of it.

"Never again should the helpless and innocent…Fall victim in a heartless world," she read aloud. "They deserve to live…and I will do what I can…To make sure they do."

Lenni sighed as she looked down at the rabbit, which blinked up at her with its wee pink eyes. She smiled and tenderly put it back in the cage with the others. She then turned around and gasped.

"Rob!"

Rob was watching her from the entrance of the garden, holding onto the gate with one hand, and gripping a piece of paper with the other. He looked at her with fearful eyes and she swallowed, not sure if she had the courage to go over to him. But he took deep breath and walked over to her. He didn't say anything, but held out the paper.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Read it…please," he said quietly.

Lenni looked at him for a moment before reading the letter.

_My Precious Lenni,_

_I am so sorry I yelled at you. When you told me you wanted an abortion, I panicked and said a lot of things I shouldn't have. Please forgive me._

_I'm madly in love with you, Lenni. You were the one who reached out to the new kid in the computer room and brought him into the team. You were the one who stood up for him, even when he was an impulsive idiot getting himself into yet another jam. You were the one who invited him into your home, even though he ate all your food. That boy fell in love with you. For the first time in his life, he had a real friend._

_Lenni, my deep love for you will never change. And because I love you so much, I must now trust you. You are the one going through this and it's for you to decide what you want to do. I will stay next to you, no matter what road you decide to take. I will respect your decision either way._

_All my love,_

_Rob_

Lenni could hardly finish the letter before she started crying. But then she felt Rob's arms around her, holding her closer as his own tears fell in her hair. She buried her face in his shirt and sobbed until her tears were gone.

"Rob…"

"Lenni…I'm so sorry."

"No…_I'm_ sorry," Lenni sniffed. "I shouldn't have run off like that."

"Don't think about that now," he said, wiping her tears.

Lenni looked up at him and melted at the sight of his eyes. She then leaned up and kissed him, relishing the taste of his lips. Rob put his hands on her face, kissing her back hungrily. They only parted when they heard Jamal clear his throat.

"I hate to break it to you guys," Jamal said. "But you're still in the middle of the garden."

They both looked over and saw the rest of the team watching them, the girls giggling and the guys with broad grins.

"You followed me?" Rob asked.

"What?" Alex asked. "We had to make sure you found her."

"And that you made up," Gaby said.

"Sure looks like they did to me," Tina giggled.

"What is this place?" Hector asked.

Hector was looking around and Rob frowned.

"You never brought him here?"

"He always wants to play handball," Alex said.

"Wow," Hector said. "Rabbits!"

Rob smiled and finally let go of Lenni so he could go to the rabbit cage, carefully picking one up and cradling it in his hand. He passed it to Hector, who laughed.

"It tickles," he said.

"Yeah," Rob sighed. "Cute, isn't he?"

Hector gave him a look.

"You like rabbits?"

"It was my job to feed them," Rob sighed. "And I was the one that…found the ones that died."

Lenni rubbed his back as Gaby stroked the rabbit.

"The barrels," she sighed. "They made me awfully sick…and I fainted right over there. And even after we caught Miller and made him remove them, it took _weeks_ to clean up the damage."

"We had to replace a lot of the soil," Lenni said. "The perc was everywhere."

"And by the time everything was back to how it _should_ be," Rob said bitterly, "I had already left for Australia."

The others looked at Rob, who had an angry look on his face. Lenni rubbed his back again.

"You got to see it when you came back," she said.

"For a _day_," Rob said, rolling his eyes. "I was too busy getting transcripts ready, giving away clothes, and helping solve a case."

"For which we were _very_ grateful," Tina said.

Rob gave a smile as he looked at Lenni.

"Guess I should thank you," he said.

"For what?"

"You brought me home too."

Rob and Lenni returned home and almost immediately picked up where they had left off when the team interrupted them. A while later, Lenni sighed as she clung to Rob in the bed, listening to his heartbeat.

"Do you…still want me to keep the baby?"

Rob gave a sigh as he touched her face.

"Lenni…I'm not going to lie to you. I love our baby already…and I couldn't stand it if…if it never got to be born."

"But…you said you'd stay either way."

"And I will," he said. "I'm just warning you that…I'd be heartbroken."

Lenni swallowed.

"Like you were…when the rabbits died?"

Rob sighed and nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "But far worse. Instead of mourning for the rabbits…I'd be mourning…our baby."

Lenni gave a deep sigh and nodded.

"I don't _want_ to hurt the baby," she said. "But…how am I going to take care of it? You're going to leave for boot camp before it's even born."

Rob raised an eyebrow.

"Is that what's bothering you?"

"Not the _only_ thing," she said. "But one of the big ones."

"Well don't worry about that," he said, checking his watch. "Once my parents hear about this…"

Rob let out his breath and Lenni raised her eyebrows.

"Hoo boy," she said. "What are they going to say?"

"Well…after the general lecture about using birth control properly…they'll probably look into coming back to New York."

Lenni sat up in the bed.

"They'd come _back_?"

Rob leaned back with his hands behind his head.

"It'd be their first grandkid," he said. "What do _you_ think?"

Lenni giggled and Rob closed his eyes.

"Mom's had great fun at her dream job," he said. "But she's ready to be a grandmother. Been bugging Jason for _years_ to settle down and have a family. Nearly had a heart attack when she found out I got married first."

"So…she would help me…right?"

Rob smiled at her.

"Mom always wanted a daughter, Lenni," he said. "I was a great disappointment."

"Rob!"

"Just sayin'," he said, getting up. "I'm gonna take a shower."

"Oh," she said. "But…I was hoping to take one. I'm still dirty from the garden."

"So take one with me," he grinned.

"ROB!"

Rob grinned but coaxed Lenni into the bathroom so they could shower together. Lenni finally dressed and was starting to make lunch when she noticed a light by the computer. She smiled and went over to it.

_Can I congratulate you now?_

Lenni raised her eyebrows as she sat down and typed.

_You know about that?_

Lenni gasped when Ghostwriter answered.

_Yes. I feel the baby's heart the way I feel yours._

Lenni stared at the computer as Rob came in, wearing only a towel around his waist. He leaned on the back of her chair and shook his head.

"Amazing that he can do that," he said.

"You knew about this?" she asked.

"Well Hector was filling him in," Rob shrugged. "Ghostwriter wanted to know why we were so upset if we were having a baby."

"Hoo boy," Lenni said, brushing her hair back.

Lenni typed again.

_I'm scared about having a baby. I'm so young and Rob has to go away to boot camp. He might not even be here when it's born._

Rob raised his eyebrows.

"I told you not to worry about that."

"You only said your parents would come back," she said.

"Oh yeah," he said. "I forgot to mention that Dad would likely negotiate. He had buddies in Vietnam that missed their kids being born."

"He did?"

"Yeah," Rob said. "Why he made Mom wait for him to come back…and took her to Germany with him. Jason was born over there."

"So…you'd be here for the birth?"

"Of course," Rob said. "Thing is…Dad might want me to do boot camp _sooner_."

"Sooner?"

"Well it's more important for me to be here _after_ the baby comes, don't you think?"

Lenni nodded as Ghostwriter wrote to her.

_I will be with you even if he can't be._

Rob smiled and took the keyboard.

_I'll do my best to be here when Lenni has the baby. But you can look after her when I'm gone._

Lenni giggled as Ghostwriter wrote back.

_You can count on me, Rob. I already enjoy being with your daughter._

"Our daughter!?" Rob gasped.

"He can tell?" Lenni wondered.

They stared at the computer and Ghostwriter wrote again.

_The baby has a heart like you, Lenni. She's a baby girl._


End file.
